Big Time Obsession
by LazyLazyWriter
Summary: When Logan unknowingly saves Camille from a serial rapist, he and Camille become the object of the man's obsessions. Can they survive the madman's game? Logan/Camille w/tons of angst, whump, etc.


**Big Time Obsession**

**Story:** Big Time Obsession  
**Storylink:** s/7986375/1/  
**Category:** Big Time Rush  
**Genre:** Angst/Horror  
**Author:** LazyLazyWriter  
**Authorlink:** u/3640937/  
**Last updated:** 12/01/2012  
**Words:** 120613  
**Rating:** M  
**Status:** Complete  
**Content:** Chapter 1 to 20 of 20 chapters  
**Source:**

**Summary:** When Logan unknowingly saves Camille from a serial rapist, he and Camille become the object of the man's obsessions. Can they survive the madman's game? Logan/Camille w/tons of angst, whump, etc.

A/N: This story was previously posted. Someone reported me to the website and subsequently got this story (and every story I had posted) deleted. With the help of an amazing friend (and person) this story and others were saved from being permanently lost. I am forever grateful to her. Most of you have already read this story (and left some amazingly wonderful reviews) that I loved reading! Thank you for joining me in this endeavor. Your support means a lot to me. All chapters are being posted at once (along with the author notes I posted at end of each chapter. Please ignore the weird format. And please, before you report someone, think about all of the time and effort that the author puts into writing the story. This particular story is almost 400 pages long and took me eight months to write. Eight months. That is a long time to obsess about a story. And it was almost lost. Because one person didn't like it, for whatever reason, and decided to report me. Please...think before you report.

***Chapter 1*: Chapter 1**

**Title**: Big Time Obsession

**Author**: LazyLazyWriter

**Rating**: T (for now…may turn into M)

**Summary**: When Logan unknowingly saves Camille from a serial rapist, he and Camille become the object of the man's obsessions. Can they survive the madman's game?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Big Time Rush. Some other lucky person does. Damn.

**CHAPTER ONE**

The man scowled, his eyes surveying the dimly lit room, taking in the scantily clothed, dancing bodies. His new target was in this room. He wasn't sure who she would be…yet…but he needed someone. His last conquest had been too long ago and the voices demanded entertainment. He couldn't ignore them. He would find someone tonight. His eyes trailed across the crowd and landed briefly on the band singing on the stage in the far corner. A boy band. Of all things, he was being forced to listen to a boy band croon while all the girls stared up at them in complete adoration.

No one ever looked at him like that.

They looked at him first with revulsion…or indifference…but when he began his game, they looked at him with fear. The fear was what he liked. And the pleas. And the struggles.

Hell, he liked the entire game.

His eyes casually settled on a girl and his interest sparked. She was near the band, in the front row standing directly below them, staring up at them while she sang along. Her eyes never left the band…and one singer in particular. The shorter dark haired boy. The boy spun around, did some sort of apparently impressive flip and landed on the stage directly in front of the girl, belting out his solo while she swooned.

If she was worthy of that one's interest, she was worthy of this one's interest.

The obsession began to build. He had found his target. His next conquest. And she had long, curly dark hair. He hoped she was a firecracker. He needed a challenge.

Camille danced along to the music, staring up at Logan while he sang. It was moments like this that she wished they were still together. He looked so confident up on stage…so sure of himself. And do damn sexy! She smiled to herself while she checked him out. His normally spiky hair was damp, his t-shirt clung to his body and he glistened with a light sheen of sweat, courtesy of the hot stage lights. Camille found she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled down at her, giving her his sexiest grin, his gaze intense. Camille felt as if he was singing to her alone - and not to the other couple of hundred girls who were currently gazing at him and the other three guys as if they were sexy pieces of meat.

Camille surveyed the room as the guys sang. They'd come to this club to relax and blow off some steam. Gustavo was working them really hard and they'd needed a break. When they'd arrived, the guys had caused quite a scene as their fans mobbed them. They'd eventually been coaxed into this impromptu concert and Camille was enjoying herself immensely. She rarely got a chance to see Logan and the others perform, their popularity taking them all over the country and all over the world. She cherished every opportunity to watch them do their thing. Logan did his trademark back flip, landing easily in front of Camille, where he bent down to take her hand. Camille smiled and pretended to swoon, which made Logan laugh. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the death stares from the fans around her as Logan continued to favor her with his attention.

Screw them. Camille thought to herself. He was mine first.

The song ended and the guys bid the crowd goodnight, much to the disappointment of the large crowd. They were immediately surrounded by girls as they came down off the stage. Camille looked at Jo and Stephanie, who rolled their eyes and smiled.

"Lets go get a drink!" Jo yelled, pulling her friends away from the mob. "They could be stuck in that crowd for awhile."

"Happens every time we go out." Stephanie sat down at the bar and ordered cokes for each of them. "You'd think we could go out just one time without those boys getting mobbed."

"Price of stardom, I guess." Jo said, watching Kendall carefully. Camille and Stephanie turned away from the bar to watch the progress the guys were making as they tried to navigate the crowd. "Uh oh!" Jo laughed suddenly. "Logan has a leach."

Camille's eyes narrowed as she searched him out. Sure enough, there was a scantily clad girl holding onto him tightly. So tightly that Logan was practically wearing her. "Bitch." she mumbled, staring at the pair.

"Come again?" Jo asked, laughing at her friend.

"Well, she's making him uncomfortable!" Camille said hotly.

"She's probably making those tight pants of his uncomfortable." Stephanie laughed as her friends gaped at her. "What? She's hot and he's single, so…."

"Well, Kendall isn't single." Jo said. "I'll be right back. He needs some saving and I need to remind him that he's got a girlfriend."

Camille watched her push her way through the crowd and saddle up next to Kendall, who looked relieved to see her. She reached up and kissed him, obviously making her claim known to the hordes, who backed away and glared at her.

"Maybe I'll go save Carlos." Stephanie said, standing up. "You gonna come save Logan?"

Camille shook her head. It wasn't really her place to save him anymore and she wasn't in the mood to fight the mob. Stephanie just shrugged and walked away, leaving Camille alone. She tried, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Logan. He was so damn hot and she was so damn jealous of all those girls. For the hundredth time, Camille wished she could find the courage to ask him out again. She took a sip of her coke and made a face. It was a fountain soda and tasted watered down. For six bucks a drink, you'd think it would taste better. But she was hot and thirsty and so she drank it quickly, welcoming the cool relief.

Camille leaned back against the bar and sighed. She wished they could go home. This club was hot, loud and overly crowded with girls who were much hotter than she was. And to be honest, she suddenly wasn't feeling all that great. Her head was starting to throb and as soon as she stood up, the room tilted dizzily and began to swim. Camille was suddenly sure she was going to puke. She clamped her hand over her mouth and rushed towards the restroom, praying she would make it in time.

Logan's eyes raked the crowd, searching. Camille had been sitting by herself at the bar, looking miserable, and suddenly she was gone. He'd hoped she would come and rescue him, but he couldn't seem to find her anywhere. Finally his eyes settled on her quickly retreating back, her hand up over her mouth. Logan narrowed his eyes, instantly worried. Quickly disengaging himself from an overzealous and very touchy redhead, he took off after his friend.

The man watched as his prey stumbled off. The voices cheered him as he stalked after her, but he was feeling slightly disappointed by this curly haired beauty. He'd expected more from her. As it was, she was proving to be as easy to dominate as the others had been. She hadn't even paid him any attention as he'd drugged her drink. She blindly stumbled off by herself. She was almost proving too easy. The man wasn't sure she would satisfy his need for game. He needed the game more than anything.

He followed after her, smiling to himself as she stumbled over another patron. She mumbled some kind of apology and clamped her hand back over her mouth. She would pass out in a matter of minutes. He had to be there when she did. He took out his small, pen sized taser, concealing it in his hand, just in case. He rapidly closed the distance, intent on reaching her before she made it to the hallway.

He was almost there. The voices were getting louder, their excitement growing. They loved the hunt almost as much as he did.

And then he found himself getting bumped aside as the boy from the stage pushed past him, reaching the girl first.

"Camille!" The boy said, rushing up to his friend. The girl looked sickly up at him, then sagged against his lean body. "Are you okay?"

"Logan." The girl groaned. "I think I'm going to pass…"

Before she could finish her thought, she went limp, loosing consciousness. The boy grabbed hold of her, his arms holding her tightly as he supported her weight. The man ducked into the shadows, watching the pair with an intense interest. He suddenly felt a stirring that he'd never experienced before. His eyes raked over the boy, taking in his sleekly muscled build, his boyish good looks. Sweaty from his performance, he practically glowed as his brow furrowed with worry for his friend. The man felt a desire begin to grow…something he hadn't felt in a long time.

The voices were at war with each other. Half of them desired the boy, chanting for the man to take him as his prize. The other half demanded the boy's head for ruining their hunt for the girl. For the first time, the man felt conflicted. And more so than that, he felt excited. He watched the boy pick up the girl in his strong arms and head back into the club, in search of his friends. He held her effortlessly, a show of his subtle strength. This one could provide the challenge he'd been searching for…more so than his curly haired waif of a friend.

But the man had never ventured into that arena before…he'd never allowed his obsession to demand anything other than girls. But the voices reminded him that girls never played the game right…never gave him that defiance that made things interesting.

And then it didn't matter. The obsession was already taking hold of the man, fueled by the lust of the voices in his head. They wanted him. They wanted her. Maybe he'd give them both.

He watched the boy quickly flag down his friends and the group rushed out of the club. He had to know more about them. He turned to a girl standing near him, a scantily clad redhead. She should have roused an interest in him, but the hunt was over. He had his prey and she no longer appealed to him.

"Excuse me." He said, gaining her attention. "Who was the group singing tonight?"

She looked over at him, a bored and annoyed look on her face. When her eyes landed on him, her expression changed to repulsed and the voices in his head turned angry.

"Uh, that's Big Time Rush." She told him, moving away as quickly as she possibly could.

The man stared after her, listening to the voices, reveling in their anger. He allowed their voices to fuel his own anger and soon he couldn't control himself any longer. If he was going to go after that young man…and his obsession was fueled, there was no way he could walk away now… then he would need to be on top of his game. He needed to sate his hunger now…and he needed to give the voices what they wanted. He watched the red haired girl, his eyes never leaving her. He saw his opportunity only moments later and started after her. Maybe she would give him a fight. Probably not. And then he could begin his search for this pop star named Logan and his girlfriend Camille.

The voices escalated as he neared the red haired girl, rejoicing when she turned around suddenly and stared at him with wide, shocked eyes. They became absolutely ecstatic when she tried to scream.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So I was trying to sleep last night and out of nowhere, this story popped into my head. Don't ask me why…I have no idea. It wouldn't leave my brain all night. I absolutely had to get this first chapter written. Hope you liked it! This story will be dark…and smutty…and full of Logan/Camille abuse, torture, angst, you get the picture. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to get more posted. PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

***Chapter 2*: Chapter 2**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting…I was taking a break after Big Time Back Flip and trying to channel my inner creepy. Hope it worked. Same as before, I do not own Big Time Rush. If they ever come up for sale, though, I will definitely try to buy them. LOL.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

The voices were disappointed and so was the man. The red head had looked so fiery in the club, hanging all over the dark haired boy, practically offering herself to him, but she'd turned out to be more feeble and pathetic than all the other girls the man had gone after. She'd fought a little bit…the scratch on the man's cheek was still bleeding and he ran his finger over it, taking a small lick of the red liquid.

The voices liked the taste. They always did. They were twisted.

But as soon as he'd gotten her alone, away from the club, she'd turned out to be a dismal conquest. She'd cried and begged and pleaded…but there was no fight in her. The man hadn't even been turned on by her. He'd tried to use her…like the voices screamed at him to do…but his body wasn't interested. His mind couldn't focus on anything but the curly haired girl and her enigmatic dark haired friend. The man wanted nothing more than to finish with this girl and begin his research on his latest obsession.

He was quickly growing angry that he was even in this place with this red haired idiot. The girl sniffled, tears still streaming down her dirty face. The man rolled his eyes at the mascara streaks the tears were leaving. The girl looked like a painted clown. Why had he even thought she would relieve his hunger? She was pathetic! She was nothing! As his anger at the girl began to grow, the man felt his lusts grow as well.

Finally, the voices rejoiced, steadily rising in the back of his mind. They were tired of waiting.

"Fight me." The man growled softly in the girl's ear. "Make me leave you alone."

The girl's wide eyes stared up at him, uncomprehending. The man grew even madder. There was nothing going on in that pretty little head. The girl must be stupid.

"Please…just… let me go." The red head whimpered, and the man's lusts finally peaked. It wasn't a struggle..it wasn't resistance or fight…but the pathetic plea was enough for now. The voices loved the scream she emitted when he raised her pathetically short skirt and roughly forced himself on her. But even that resistance was short-lived and the voices soon grew bored and pouty. When the man finished a few minutes later, the girl was laying underneath him, practically comatose in her acceptance. Her eyes stared up at the sky and she was humming to herself, blocking him out. She didn't even look scared anymore. She almost looked bored.

The man grew angry again.

The voices were pissed off.

How dare this dismal little person dismiss him as nothing! The man wanted the fear back in her eyes…

His hands reached down and closed around her skinny, alabaster neck. It was a pretty neck, void of those annoying freckles that spotted her dirty face. Cream skin, so smooth. The girl's eyes widened with sudden fear when the man's hands reached her neck and the voices practically exploded with excitement.

The man hesitated, reveling in the growing excitement from the friends in his head. This was it! This was the excitement that had been missing! The fear was what he'd been longing for. He stared down at the girl's face, drinking up the horror he saw there. His fingers closed more tightly around the small neck and the girl became a bronco, bucking uncontrollably at him, trying to throw him off. She thrashed and fought hard, her nails raking across his face, making him grunt in pain. The man slammed her head down into the cement, becoming giddy when he saw the stream of blood begin to flow underneath her and her eyes become glazed. He squeezed her neck even more, feeling things crackle and crunch beneath his fingers. The girl gasped as her airway was cut off, her eyes bugging out comically. The man laughed. She looked ridiculous. Especially now that her face was turning blue. She looked like Smurfette. That would be how he remembered her.

He squeezed even harder. And laughed more. For some reason, when he squeezed her neck, the river of blood now flowing from her head would increase. Odd. The man giggled as he intermittently squeezed hard and soft, making the blood river volume go up and down.

The voices told him he was being lame. He rolled his eyes at them.

The girl's eyes were closing, her face now an ugly shade of grey, and she'd stopped moving. The man looked down at her. She really was ugly now that she was dead.

Dead!

The man had killed her!

Elation grew in him as he realized what he'd done. He'd never killed his prey before. He'd always been too squeamish, no matter how much the voices punished him afterwards.

He'd finally given them blood. Now maybe they wouldn't demand his. The man was ecstatic.

The voices settled down into an approving buzz, each one telling him how special he was…how perfect he was. The smile on the man's face continued to grow as he removed his hands from the stupid girl's neck. He was special. He was perfect. It was nice that his voices had finally realized that. He wanted to earn their approval even more. There was that room in his basement…the room the voices had made him build. He'd always been too squeamish to make use of it…with its chains and tools and hooks. But now the man could feel the lust growing in him, making him wonder if he'd find joy in using that room. The fear and pain in the girl's eyes intrigued him, even more than her warm little twat had.

Speaking of which…the man suddenly found himself uncomfortably hard as he thought about that room and he quickly entered the girl again, marveling at how warm she still felt, even in death. When he found his release, he quickly stood up, his mind racing over plans for his next conquest. He reveled in the clarity he always found after a completed hunt.

And the next hunt would be even better.

The man had always wanted to turn the hunt into a game…it had been a dream of his since he'd met the voices. He dragged the stupid dead girl into the far corner of the alley and threw some discarded trash on top of her. The bitch didn't deserve anything more. She was pathetic and he was done with her.

As he walked casually out of the dirty alley, the man's mind was alive with contemplation. Maybe it was time to turn the hunt into a game. To draw out the terror and anxiety in his victims…to make them fear even being alone…to control their lives and dominate them in every way. That was what he truly wanted. And he could finally make use of that special room in his basement. He could play and experiment and see what truly made a person scream and beg.

But with whom? The curly haired twig of a girl, whom he'd first felt the hunger for? Or her beautiful male friend, who'd awakened something in the man that he'd never felt before.

The man smiled. Tonight was a night of firsts. His first kill. His first hint of approval from the voices. And the beginning of the game he'd been dreaming of playing since he was ten years old and the screaming of cats no longer interested him when he'd cut their legs off. The man was finally ready.

Logan frowned down at Camille, gently moving a soft curl away from her face. She looked so peaceful as she slept, finally resting comfortably after an hour of throwing up in the bathroom. He was grateful he'd gotten her home before she'd gotten truly sick. Logan struggled to maintain his composure as he watched over his ailing friend. He knew in his heart that this wasn't a typical illness. Camille has woken up in the car and told her friends that she'd only had the coke to drink and then she'd immediately started feeling sick.

Logan wasn't naive. He knew what that meant. Camille had been fine before she'd had the coke.

Someone had drugged her drink.

And Logan was pissed off. He could feel the anger seething in him, making it impossible to think of anything else. More than anything, he wanted to return to that club, track down the low life who'd dare drug his friend and kick his ass. The problem was, no one had seen what'd happened. Whoever had done it had been good.

Camille stirred suddenly, groaning in her sleep, and Logan kicked off his shoes, laying down next to her in bed, pulling her close. She snuggled up next to him and settled down, relaxing back into sleep. He didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone in her apartment, with no one to watch her, so he settled in for the night.

Logan couldn't get his mind to settle down. He just kept thinking about what could have happened to Camille, if he hadn't gotten to her first. He tried to think back, to see if he could remember a face, anyone who had been near Camille, but he couldn't. He'd been focused completely on her. Logan silently cursed himself for being so stupid. It would be impossible to find who ever had done this. Aside from warning the bar owners, there was little he could do.

The only thing that made him feel better was knowing that most guys like this went after random girls. Camille had been alone. She hadn't been paying attention to her drink. She'd been an apparently easy target. And she was safe now that she was home. That monster wouldn't be able to harm her. What made Logan sick to his stomach was knowing that whoever had done this to Camille would be trying it with some other girl. The man was sick. Anyone who would drug a girl for who knew what malicious reason was sick.

Logan looked down at Camille, feeling a renewed stirring of feelings as he watched her sleep. They might not be dating anymore, but she would always be special to him. He would always care about her and he would do absolutely anything to keep her safe. No harm would come to her while he was around. She was his first love. And she still currently occupied the top spot in his heart. Logan wasn't sure she would ever be unseated. There was something about Camille that, once it had a hold on you, would never let go. He pulled her closer to him, resting his head on top of her soft curls, and closed his eyes. He missed this…being able to hold her and feel at peace. He missed her warmth. He missed the way her face would light up whenever he was around. He missed feeling like he meant everything to her and she meant everything to him.

As Logan drifted off to sleep, his thoughts settled on happier times…his thoughts settled on Camille.

The man loved Google. In his dark and warped world, filled with agonizing hunger and only fleeting moments of elation, Google was this bright spot. When he Googled, the voices would leave him alone. They would slink away to the recesses of his mind and allow him to do the work that they couldn't do themselves. They knew that whatever benefit he got out of his time on Google would benefit them as well.

And benefit they had.

It hadn't taken much time at all to search out information on one Logan Mitchell, singer in a band called Big Time Rush. The man was surprised at the sheer amount of information related to this boy and this band that was on the internet. Apparently, for some unknown reason, they were extremely popular.

Especially with girls.

The man was jealous and with every bit of information he read on Logan Mitchell, he became increasingly agitated and spiteful. Everyone loved him. Everyone wanted to date him. Apparently everyone wanted to have his baby.

No one wanted to date the man. Even if someone was momentarily interested, the voices would scare them away…or demand he satisfy his hunger..and then the woman was gone. One way or another.

The boy lived in Los Angeles. At a place called the Palm Woods. The boy was stupid to allow such personal information to appear on the internet. The boy was asking for trouble. The man would see that he found it. The man's elation began to grow as he continued to peruse the information.

He found pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. The boy posed a lot. There he was with his band. There he was posing alone. There he was sleeping. The man liked that one the most. Taken by a band mate, the boy looked to peaceful…so beautiful. The man's lusts began to stir. What he wouldn't give to be able to gaze upon the boy while he slept…and then wake him and allow the voices to have their way.

The man hit Print and giggled when the pictures began to appear from his printer. He grabbed up the sleeping picture and stared at it, letting the image consume him. For once he was in complete agreement with the voices. They wanted this boy…they absolutely burned for him…and so did the man. It was scary, knowing that he wanted the same thing as the voices. He wondered if it would make his life easier, if he and the voices were in synch for once.

The man picked up the small scalpel from his desk and lightly ran it over his arm, watching the beads of blood appear. The voices thanked him, telling him again how much they loved him, as he allowed them to taste his blood. They were so proud of him, it made him feel special. He was up in the clouds, he was so happy. He would start the game immediately. He would break this seemingly pompous boy and make him beg. He would let the voices feast on the boy's blood for a change. And with any luck, the man would find the girl somewhere near the boy and he'd have his fun with her too. He loved dark curly hair.

The man glanced over at the television playing quietly in the corner of the room and smirked at the image he saw.

The red haired girl. On the news. Like that was news. She was a pathetic dead girl that wasn't worthy of mentioning.

Even the voices chuckled as the newswoman…who the man usually longed for but today couldn't even work up a small interest in…talked about her lame life. Apparently the loser had been named Melissa.

Blah blah blah.

No one cared.

Melissa had been on spring break.

So what.

Melissa had wanted to be an actress.

Everyone in this stupid town had the same dream.

Why were they even wasting time talking about that lowlife? She had been nothing more than a bug that he had crushed.

Bug. Huh. The man laughed. He'd crushed her like a bug. He giggled as he looked at the picture of the dead girl.

Camille screamed when she saw the image of the red haired girl on the news.

Logan jumped up, jolted out of a deep sleep, and looked around, his eyes darting around to find the threat.

"What?" He stumbled over a pile of dirty laundry and crashed into her desk, knocking her lamp to the floor. "Ow! Dammit!" Logan rubbed his sore arm as he rushed into the living room, looking for Camille. He found her sitting on the couch, staring at the television with a look of horror on her face. Real horror…not the theatrical looks she normally wore. Logan sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

"Camille, what's wrong?"

Camille didn't answer him. She continued to stare at the picture on the screen. Logan glanced at it and frowned. He didn't recognize the girl being shown, but the story was detailing the events of a murder the night before. He looked back at Camille, who was paler than he'd ever seen her.

"Camille." He tried again, more forcefully. "What's wrong?"

Camille's wide eyes turned to look at him. "That's the girl."

Huh? Logan was confused. "That's what girl, Camille?"

"The girl from the club. Last night."

Logan looked at the picture again, trying to figure out what Camille was talking about. Did she know that girl? Is that why she was so upset? Logan didn't like hearing about murders either, but that was the drawback of living in a very populated city…horrible events like that occurred more often than he cared to think about.

"The girl, Logan." Camille continued in a whisper. "The girl who was hanging all over you after you sang."

There had been a girl who had been practically molesting him after the show. Logan remembered trying in vain to ditch her and hoping Camille would come save him. He'd bolted as soon as the girl's hand had gone south, trying to get into his pants. That had been the same time he'd seen Camille looking so sick and he'd followed her. Logan hadn't even really gotten a good look at his molester…he'd been too busy staring at Camille.

"No, it can't be." He told Camille. "Its just some poor girl in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

"She was at the same club we were!" Camille said, looking at him. "She was hanging all over you. And now she's dead."

"Hey! I didn't kill her!" Logan said quickly, wondering what Camille's issue was. "I was too busy carrying your sick butt out of the club."

Camille was starting to panic. "Don't you get it Logan? That girl, who was hanging all over you, was killed at the same club, the same night I was drugged."

Logan frowned. "That is creepy, but Camille, it's a total coincidence. There was a creeper there who was targeting young women and unfortunately he got her. The police will find him. I'm just glad he didn't get you."

Camille wrapped her arms around her. "I'm scared, Logan."

Logan pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't be, Camille. The police will find this guy. He'll go to prison for murder. Besides, you were a random victim. Its not like he knows where you live."

The man knew where they lived.

Both of them.

He clutched the picture to him, the picture of both the girl and the boy, on a date. A tabloid picture of them at a restaurant. The boy was Logan. The girl was named Camille.

They lived in the same hotel.

The man was happy. It was time to play.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: I'm so excited with this story…I hope everyone likes it. I'm really trying to be creepy and I hope I'm pulling it off laughs in a creepy way.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! ~ LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 3*: Chapter 3**

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! As always, I do not own Big Time Rush. Sometimes I dream that I do though... ~LazyLazyWriter**

**CHAPTER THREE**

"It's kind of creepy, bro." James said, pulling open the door to Rocque Records. "I mean, this girl who was all over you last night ends up dead on the same night Camille was drugged?"

"She wasn't all over me." Logan said defensively. "She was excited to see me. And…yeah, okay, she was a little touchy-feely…"

"She had her hand down your pants."

"She TRIED to get her hand down my pants. There's a difference. Camille is really freaked out." Logan said.

"I feel sorry for the girl." Carlos said sadly. "She was there because of us and whoever did this was obviously at the club."

"There were a lot of people at the club." Kendall reminded him. "The place was packed. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the girl was hanging on Logan earlier."

"I'm surprised Camille let you leave to come to rehearsal." James added, looking at Logan. "She seemed pretty attached to you this morning."

Logan shrugged. "Jo agreed to stay with her. She's just scared, especially now that this girl was murdered. She's afraid the person who did this will come after her."

Kendall shook his head. "Whoever did this was probably looking for random victims. Camille was lucky you came along."

"That's what she says." Logan told them. "That's why she won't let me out of her sight."

"Logan! Get in here!" Gustavo called loudly from his office. The guys frowned, looking at each other. He'd used Logan's actual name…didn't call him Dog or anything. Something was wrong.

"You called?" Logan said hesitantly, sticking his head in the office while his friends crowded up behind him. Logan studied the two strangers in the room with confusion when they turned to stare at him.

"Can you please tell me why there is a picture of you and this now deceased girl hitting the newspapers?" Gustavo yelled, slamming a paper down on his desk. "And why I have two L.A.P.D. homicide detectives in my office?"

"A picture of …what? What are you talking about?" Logan stammered, rushing up to look at the paper. Sure enough, splashed over the front page, next to the red headed girl's smiling picture, was a picture of her and Logan from the previous night. The caption read "Big Time Homicide." Logan quickly scanned the article, which detailed events from the club the night before, how the guys had put on an impromptu concert and how this girl had met Logan just hours before she was found dead. Logan turned to his friends, his eyes wide. "Why is this in the papers?"

"Do you know this girl, Mr. Mitchell?" The dark haired detective asked, his notebook out. Logan shook his head.

"She was at the club last night. She got a little touchy feely, her friend snapped a picture and then I took off after Camille because she was sick."

"Camille?" The detective asked.

"Camille Roberts. Our friend." Logan slapped his forehead. "Who was drugged at the bar. Her drink was spiked with something and she started throwing up."

The second detective came up to stand in front of Logan. "So your friend was drugged at the same bar where this girl was hours before she was murdered?"

Logan nodded. "She told me she was drinking a Coke and then a minute later she started getting dizzy and she felt like she was going to pass out. I watched her walk towards the bathrooms so I left this girl…Melissa," Logan said, scanning the article, "and went after Camille. She passed out in my arms and I got the guys and we took her home."

The dark haired detective stopped writing. "Did you see anyone suspicious following your friend or paying too much attention to her?"

The guys shook their heads. "I'm sorry," Logan said, "I was focused on getting to Camille. She was sitting alone at the bar for only about 10 minutes before she got sick. Whoever drugged her was fast."

The two detectives looked at each other. "This fits the profile of a serial rapist that we've been after for the past year. He typically preys on young women who are alone at a club. He uses a drug to make them sick, and then pass out. After they black out, he takes them someplace nearby and rapes them. Your friend fits that scenario. We'd like to talk to her, to add her information to our report."

Logan nodded. "I can get you her information."

The dark haired man sighed. "This murder, however, is disturbing. We believe it's the same man, but he's progressed into murder and that scares us, quite frankly."

"Camille was worried this person might come after her." Logan told the detective, who shook his head.

"The chances of that are extremely slim. The profile of our assailant indicates that he chooses his victims at random. I doubt there is a link between you and this victim, aside from the fact that she was in the same club as you. We now believe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't believe your friend is in any more danger."

Logan nodded. "She will be relieved to hear that. The attack has left her spooked."

The dark haired detective handed Logan a card. "We will be in contact with your friend. If you remember anything else from last night, please give me a call."

Logan looked at the card. "I will, Detective Simmons. Thank you so much."

The guys stepped aside as the two detectives left. Gustavo was frowning at them. "You Dogs can't go anywhere without finding trouble!"

Kendall frowned. "It's not our fault some crazy psycho was in the same club we were." He told Gustavo. "Or that the girl molesting Logan was murdered."

"She wasn't molesting me!"

"Whatever." James said. "It's still pretty creepy, if you ask me."

Logan suddenly found himself agreeing, a chill washing over him. Maybe it was kind of creepy…

The man took his time.

This was all new to him.

And the one thing he truly relished was something new to learn…to perfect.

The man was a genius. More so than his self-professed obsession. The boy claimed he was a genius…the man really was a genius. The man was interested to know what the boy would say when faced with a true genius. The boy would be in awe of the man's intelligence…

That thought made the man smile.

He loved this new game already. He wasn't used to playing with his prey…not in a long term sense, anyway. Not anymore. He'd loved playing with the stray cats and dogs when he was younger. There was no better way to spend a hot summer day than locked up in the tool shed with his latest canine or feline victim, dreaming up new ways to make the animals scream. Animal screams could sound so human and the man had loved the sound as a boy. He'd tried so many things with those animals. So many things.

He began whistling to himself as he composed his first communication to the boy. His introduction letter, so to speak. The voices were trying to tell him what to say, but the man wanted the first letter to be from him alone. The voices could help out on the next letter.

He pondered what to say.

He would address the first letter directly to the boy. He'd make mention of the pretty curly haired girl, Camille, to instill the fear in her too…but he wanted to talk to the boy first. He was the one that would be the hardest to intimidate. The man would have to work on him the most.

The man picked up the newspaper lying on the desk next to him. The boy and the dead bitch stared at him, their smiling faces almost mocking him. The man noticed that the boy's smile looked strained…almost forced. Maybe the red headed girl had annoyed him too. The man reached for scissors, taking his time cutting the picture out. He glued it to another piece of nondescript white paper, careful to avoid leaving fingerprints on anything.

The man was a genius.

He wouldn't be caught because of a stray fingerprint.

He wasn't that stupid.

The voices mocked him…told him he was stupid. He ignored them. They were just angry that they had to wait. The voices were not patient.

He man took his time composing his letter, creating a masterpiece. He knew the boy would like it when he read it. He knew it would make him afraid.

The man wanted to see the boy's face when he read it.

He put the letter in a plain manila envelope, writing the boy's name in big block letters on the outside. He'd deliver it to the Palm Woods himself. He felt a sudden desire to be near the boy…and if he was lucky, he'd get a glimpse of the girl as well.

The man smiled to himself as he gathered up his letter. The game was beginning.

"Hockey heads!" Bitters yelled as soon as the guys entered the lobby. "Don't have people leave mail for you on my desk! That's what mailboxes are for!"

"Mail?" James asked, walking up to the desk. "We didn't tell anyone to leave us mail here. Maybe it's from a fan."

"Whatever." Bitters frowned. "Just don't leave it here. I have important business taking place here and I can't be bothered with your stupid fan mail." He pulled an envelope out from under the desk and threw it towards James, who quickly grabbed it. He looked it over, his smile fading.

"Oh. It's for Logan."

Logan frowned. "For me? That's weird."

He reached for the letter, absent-mindedly opening the flap, when he noticed Camille walking towards him. "Hey Camille!"

"Logan," Camille smiled, "I just received a call from a Detective Simmons. He said this guy picks random victims and I'm not in danger. I'm so relieved! I was so scared!"

Logan smiled back at her. "I told you that you had nothing to worry about. There's no way this guy could find you anyway."

"I know…I was being silly." Camille admitted. "But I feel better now. Thank you again for rescuing me last night and staying with me in my apartment." She gave him a shy smile. "I really appreciate it."

Logan blushed. "Anytime. You know that."

He reached into the envelope, pulling out the single sheet of paper inside. He glanced at his friends goofing around near the couches, playing monkey-in-the-middle with Carlos's helmet. Carlos lunged at James, missed the helmet, and knocked the taller boy into a large potted plant, causing Kendall to burst into laughter.

"Don't break the plants!" Bitters yelled from his office. Logan laughed, then turned back towards Camille. Her eyes wide, she was staring at the paper in his hand.

"Camille?" He asked, glancing down at the sheet he held. His own face paled as his heart almost stopped. The sheet contained the picture of him and the red haired girl, smiling for the camera. It was the picture from the paper. Underneath the picture, in plain block letters, was some writing. Logan quickly read it over.

**PRETTY ISN'T SHE?**

**NOT AS PRETTY AS YOUR CURLY HAIRED FRIEND.**

**YOU TOOK MY PRETTY FROM ME LAST NIGHT.**

**SO I TOOK THIS PRETTY INSTEAD.**

**REMEMBER HER, LOGAN? SHE WAS FOND OF YOU.**

**JUST LIKE I AM.**

**I'LL TAKE YOUR PRETTY FROM YOU.**

**I'LL TAKE YOU TOO.**

**I'M WATCHING YOU, LOGAN.**

**P.S. SHE SCREAMED…WILL YOU?**

Logan handed the paper to Camille, swallowing hard. He was finding it hard to breath. His friends noticed that something was wrong and quickly surrounded the pair, their eyes full of questions.

"Logan?" Kendall asked, snapping his fingers in front of Logan's face, trying to get his attention. Logan continued to stare at Camille as she quickly read the note, gasping softly.

"Loges?" James said. "What's wrong? Say something."

"I think I've got a problem." Logan whispered, as Kendall grabbed the note from Camille. Kendall quickly read the note, his eyes widening in shock.

Logan looked at his friends. "I'm not sure this is random anymore."

Camille fainted.

Near the pool, in a lounge chair when he pretended to sunbath, the man smiled as he watched the group through the open lobby doors. The boy stood, his face pale, while his imbecile friends scrambled to help the girl as she fainted.

Perfect.

Everything was going perfectly.

The boy was frightened.

The girl was already scared out of her mind.

The voices rejoiced.

The man collected his magazine and towel and strolled casually from the pool, passing the lobby doors, unnoticed by those around him. He whistled as he strolled towards his car, the image of the scared boy fresh in his mind. He couldn't wait to get started on the next phase of his plan.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it...please remember to review! ~LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 4*: Chapter 4**

**A/N: Still don't own Big Time Rush. Yeah, I feel bad about it too. Dang it. Thanks for reading and for the nice reviews. Much appreciated! ~ LazyLazyWriter**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

As soon as the initial shock wore off, Logan quickly grew pissed. Ignoring the activity around him, he angrily whirled on Bitters.

"Who left this?" He demanded, shocking the other man with the intensity of his anger. 'Who!"

"I…I don't know." Bitters stammered, backing away from the angry young man. "It was sitting on the desk when I came out of the office. I didn't see anyone leave it."

Logan whirled on the growing crowd. "Did anyone see someone leave a yellow envelope on the desk?"

The other teens shook their heads, causing Logan to growl in frustration. "So someone just waltzed in here, deposited this filth on the desk and waltzed back out and no one saw him?"

The growing crowd backed away.

"Logan, calm down." Kendall said quietly, reaching over to put a steadying hand on Logan's shoulder. Logan shrugged off the gesture, his eyes shining.

"I will not calm down! Some crazy psycho leaves me and Camille a threatening letter and no one saw him? This is crazy!" As if saying her name reminded him of her, Logan quickly looked down at the floor where Camille was slowly recovering from her shock. He knelt down next to her, taking her pale hand in his. "Camille? Are you okay?"

"I…" Camille began, her eyes fluttering. "I don't think I am."

"Easy." James said, reaching down to help Camille up. "Let's get up slowly."

Logan grabbed her other hand, helping her stand. Camille sagged against Logan's side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You said he couldn't find me." Camille said quietly, her face still pale. "You said it was a random attack."

Logan wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her soft curly hair. "I think it was random, at first." He told her. "I just don't think it is now. We have to find this person."

"What about security tapes?" James asked suddenly, looking at Bitters. The building manager looked away guiltily.

"The system is down." He told the boys, his face growing red. "I have a repairman coming out tomorrow to fix it."

James slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration, softly cursing. "We have to find this guy."

"We need the police." Kendall told them. "We need help with this. We can't handle this pervert on our own."

"Detective Simmons." Logan suddenly remembered, reaching for the card in his pocket. He grabbed his cell phone and quickly dialed the number.

"Simmons." A gruff voice answered after the second ring.

"Detective Simmons, this is Logan Mitchell, from earlier today." Logan began, transferring Camille to Carlos, who quickly enveloped her in his arms. Logan frowned slightly at the pair, before returning his attention to the call.

"Yes, Mr. Mitchell. What can I do for you?"

"I think you need to come to the Palm Woods as soon as you can. I've just gotten a threatening letter and I believe it's the same guy who drugged Camille and murdered that girl last night."

"I'm sorry, you got what?" Detective Simmons asked, sounding shocked.

"A note was left for me here at the Palm Woods. Listen, you need to see it for yourself. Its got us pretty freaked out." Logan said.

"I'll be there in a few." The line suddenly went dead. Logan stared at the phone for a second before quickly taking Camille back from Carlos. "Let's go to the crib. We need to get out of this lobby." Logan said, walking Camille to the elevators while the others trailed behind them. Kendall turned around and looked at Bitters.

"Get that surveillance fixed. And send the detective up to our apartment when he gets here."

Bitters, for once, just nodded his head without offering a smart retort. He watched the group get on the elevator before picking up the phone.

"LA Surveillance? I need a repairman here today. No, this cannot wait. I need this system fixed now."

Carlos quickly opened the door to the apartment, followed in by the others. Logan deposited Camille on the couch and grabbed the letter, reading it over carefully. "This guy is sick!"

"You think it's the same guy from last night?" James asked, reading the letter over Logan's shoulder.

"No doubt in my mind." Logan answered, scowling. "I obviously stopped him from attacking Camille and he's pissed at me."

"That seems far fetched." Kendall began.

"Does it? Does it seem far fetched?" Logan interrupted, spinning on Kendall. "A crazy guy drugs Camille, kills another girl and then leaves an extremely threatening and disturbing note for me at my home. Yeah, I can see how that sounds far fetched!"

"Logan, bro, calm down." James said softly. "We'll figure this out."

"What the hell does this guy mean, he's fond of me? What is that supposed to mean?" Logan sat down on the couch next to Camille, wrapping his arms around her again. "I won't let him hurt you, Camille." He whispered in her ear. "He'll never touch you."

Camille sniffled back a sob, resting her head against Logan's chest. "I'm just so scared, Logan. Who is this guy?"

"Just some creep." Logan told her. "And he's messing with the wrong guy."

"The wrong guys." James corrected. "You're not in this alone, Logan."

Logan smiled up at his friend. "I know, guys. I'm just a little freaked right now."

A soft knock at the door startled them all, making them laugh nervously.

"I'll get it." Carlos said, heading for the door. He opened it, revealing a somber looking detective.

"Wow, that was fast." Kendall observed, frowning.

"I was in the area. Let's see this note." Detective Simmons said, entering the apartment. Logan stood up and handed the note to the older man, who studied it carefully. "This could very well be the same guy from the club last night…our serial rapist. This would be a divergence from his usual game, though."

"Just like the murder last night." Kendall reminded the detective, who nodded.

"Just like the murder last night. Judging by the contents of this note, he seems to feel Logan is responsible for both him losing Camille and him choosing Melissa as his victim. I guess there is a connection between you and the victim after all, Mr. Mitchell."

Logan cursed under his breath. "I didn't even know that girl."

"No." The detective said. "But she was near you and the guy knew that. It is possible he chose her in retaliation for you taking Camille away from him."

"I don't understand this." Logan admitted, hating that something was outside his grasp. "Why is this guy fixated on us? We never even met him. We just passed near him at a club."

Detective Simmons nodded. "That's how most of these guys work. They see someone and develop an obsession. Once the obsession is there, it's hard for them to ignore the object of their desire." The detective looked at Logan and Camille sympathetically. "I'm sorry, kids, but he's seemed to have settled on you both."

"Uh, news flash." Logan interrupted, "I'm not a girl."

The detective allowed a small smile. "No, you are not. But for some of these guys, obsessions develop for both guys and girls, with no rhyme or reason. Sorry, son."

"So I'm sorry, but what you're saying is that, in all probability, a serial rapist has become obsessed with me?" Logan shuttered.

"Bad luck, bro." James muttered, earning a glare from Logan.

"You don't say."

"He's obsessed with me, too." Camille reminded them all, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Well, yeah, but…" Logan began, trying to figure out what to say. "But, I'm not a girl!"

"We get that." Detective Simmons said quickly. "You're not a girl."

"Just saying." Logan muttered.

Camille sighed. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I'm going to start an investigation into your case, take the letter to our lab for analysis." Detective Simmons began. "Don't worry, kids. We'll find this guy. In the meantime, I want the two of you with someone at all times. Under no circumstances should either of you be left alone."

"But I live alone." Camille told him, shuttering, suddenly cold. "My dad moved back home a few months ago."

The detective shook his head. "Then I suggest you find someone to live with until this guy is caught. You are more vulnerable alone."

"He can't get into the Palm Woods." Kendall told the detective. "We'll all be on our guard now."

"He got in earlier and left that note." Simmons reminded the blond boy. "And not one single person saw him. Not one."

"It's okay." Camille told them. "I'll see if I can stay with Jo and Stephanie."

"All of you girls? Alone?" Kendall asked, looking doubtful. "Is that a good idea?"

"He seems more in love with Logan than me." Camille said, allowing a small smile when Logan looked shocked.

"He is not in love with me!" He stammered. "He's not. I'm not a girl!"

Simmons sighed. "Just stay in groups, don't leave the apartment unless you absolutely have to and don't wander off alone." He reminded them. "And that should go for all of you. There is not telling how far this obsession will go."

Everyone nodded as Detective Simmons picked up the note, heading towards the door. "Do not hesitate to call me or 911 if you feel threatened or suspect someone is watching you. We need all the leads we can get to find this guy."

"Of course, Detective." James said, seeing the man out. "We'll all be on guard."

Kendall sighed as the door closed behind the officer. "I am so glad my mom and Katie are on vacation in Minnesota. I would not want them involved with this." He grabbed his phone. "I'm going to call them and tell Mom to stay there until this guy is caught."

Logan looked at Camille as the guys disappeared, giving them some space. "I'm sorry, Camille, this is all my fault."

Camille shook her head. "You saved me last night, Logan. If anything, this is my fault. I should have been paying more attention. I should never have allowed myself to become a victim."

Logan smiled sheepishly. "We're quite the pair, aren't we? Both of us assuming this is our fault? I have to admit, I never once thought I'd become the obsession of a serial rapist turned murderer."

"Like I did?" Camille asked.

Logan lowered his head. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Camille told him. "This is strange for both of us."

"More so for me because I'm not a girl." Logan muttered again, earning a glare from Camille.

"Logan!" Camille said.

"I'm just saying!"

Camille patted his shoulder, standing up. "Okay, I'm going to go ask Jo if I can stay with her."

Logan stood up quickly. "I'll go with you."

"No, that's okay. I'm only going to Jo's." Camille told him, heading for the door.

"You can't go alone." Logan argued, following after her.

"It's just to Jo's!"

"Not alone!" Logan said firmly.

"Logan, we can't allow this guy to run our lives." Camille told him softly. "We can't live in fear."

"No." Logan admitted. "But we can be smart about this. For now, I really would prefer if you don't go anywhere alone. Just until this guy is caught."

Camille shrugged. "Fine. I'm still freaked out anyway. Let's go to Jo's."

"I'll go." Kendall volunteered. "I want to see Jo anyway. Logan, you can stay put in the crib." James and Carlos lined up behind Kendall, arms folded, staring at Logan.

"So it's like that, is it?" Logan asked, looking at his friends, who nodded.

"It's like that." James told him firmly.

Logan sighed. "This is not cool."

"No, it's not." Kendall agreed. "But until this guy is caught, you two will have to put up with overprotective shadows."

"And I'm on lockdown apparently." Logan growled.

"He can't hurt you if he can't get to you." Carlos told him.

The girl was an actress.

The man smiled as he scrolled through the listings he found for her on YouTube and Netflix. She'd been in a lot of B movies and teen television shows.

She was a melodramatic over actor and most of her roles involved theatrical screaming.

The man wondered what she would sound like when she screamed for real.

He replayed the scene on the video he was currently watching…a low budget teen horror film involving zombies, and listened to the girl scream again. She was hiding in a closet while zombies crashed through the closed door. Her eyes were wide with fear as the zombies burst into the small room and she screamed again, begging the hero of the movie to help her.

The man loved that part. He loved the look of fear in her eyes.

He moved the scroll bar back a few seconds and watched again. And again. And again. He couldn't seem to get enough. The voices soon grew bored with the staged terror, telling him it was time to deliver the real thing.

The man found his favorite part and pressed Record on his voice recorder, smirking.

Fine. The voices wanted the real thing? He would give them what they wanted.

The boy was hiding in his apartment.

The girl was staying with friends.

They both foolishly believed the police could save them.

It was time to pay the girl a visit and draw the boy out into the open.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: I feel like I'm failing at being creepy, but the next chapter has lots of creep planned, so we'll see how that goes. Please remember to review and let me know what you think!**

***Chapter 5*: Chapter 5**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who called me creepy ;) You guys are great! Thank you so much for all the great, supportive reviews! You know I love them! As always, I do not own Big Time Rush.**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The man opened the door to the apartment slowly, careful not to make any noise. He didn't want to disturb the residents who may be sleeping inside. The voices were talking loudly in his head, ecstatic at the thought of finally finishing the hunt. The man was excited about the end as well. He found that, while he enjoyed the hunt somewhat, he was impatient to get his prey alone…where they could finally have some fun together.

He crept inside, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dark. Soon he could make out the outlines of furniture…a couch..a lamp…she even had a potted plant. The man smiled…he actually liked the idea of the girl having a potted plant.

It showed that she cared for life.

The man loved to destroy life.

He'd always heard that opposites attract. He hoped it was true.

The man inhaled the scent of the apartment, knowing instinctively that it belonged to the girl. He decided that he loved the way she smelled…like lavender and honey.

Hmmmmmmmm…

He closed his eyes. He could almost feel her in the apartment…feel her essence surrounding him. He gripped his knife tightly in his right hand, heading towards the back of the apartment.

He was so close.

The voices were becoming frenzied, telling him how bright he was, how much they loved him. The man knew they were lying…they only praised him because they knew they would be fed soon. The man didn't care. They were family and he would take whatever love they had to offer him.

He crept down the hallway, heading for what he assumed was the bedroom. She'd left the hall light on…the girl was very thoughtful.

He tightened his grip on the fillet knife he was holding. He'd spent a lot of time contemplating which knife to choose. The voices had weighed in on the topic as well, expressing a distinct affinity for the bulky butcher knife. It was large and frightening…perfect for inducing fear in the victim. And they so much wanted to see that fear. But the man had chosen the sleek fillet knife instead. It was much easier to handle, to manipulate, and the damage it would inflict was graceful. The fillet knife had a finesse that the butcher knife lacked.

And after all, the man had no wish to kill anyone just yet.

The man stopped outside a closed door and he held his breath, listening. He reached out, gripping the doorknob. He knew his prize was inside.

Camille hated sleeping anywhere other than her own place, in her own bed. She couldn't sleep in unfamiliar places. She was uncomfortable, uneasy, and she heard every noise and scary sound that the apartment had to offer. Being stalked by a psycho wasn't helping her nerves at all.

She clutched the comforter up under her chin, peering at the closed bedroom door with wide eyes.

Did something just bang out in the living room?

No, of course not. Camille laughed to herself. She was just being paranoid. Right? Her eyes roamed around the darkened room, resting finally on a sleeping Jo. How could she seriously be sleeping so soundly when an obsessed maniac was on the loose?

Ok. That time she definitely heard a sound out in the living room! Camille scrambled out of bed and rushed over to Jo, shaking her roughly.

"What?" Jo mumbled sleepily, swatting at Camille's hands.

"Jo! Wake up!" Camille hissed, panic setting in when she heard another thump. Was someone in the hallway? "Jo! I heard a sound outside the door!"

"It's probably Stephanie." Jo mumbled, pulling the covers up over her head.

Camille shook her sleeping friend more forcefully. "But what if it's not? What if it's him?"

"He doesn't know you're here." Jo reminded her sleepily. "You're safe. Go back to sleep." She froze as the door to their bedroom jiggled softy, as if someone was testing it. Jo's eyes grew wide. "It's locked!" She whispered to Camille.

The door creaked. Camille threw her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as the lock jiggled again. She quickly reached for her phone. "I'm calling Logan!"

"We should call the police!" Jo whispered to her, listening intently for any more sounds. A sudden crash in the hallway made them jump.

"The guys are closer!" Camille argued as she dialed Logan's number with shaky fingers

Logan had his phone on vibrate, but it still woke him up. He blindly reached for the offending object, knocking it off his nightstand with a curse.

"Stop the noise." Kendall groaned from across the room. "Sleepin."

Logan reached under his bed where his phone had fallen, trying to grab it. It continued to vibrate. Who was calling at…Logan glanced at his clock…2:00am anyway? His hand closed on the phone and he silently cheered his victory as he got up and padded across the room to the door.

He groggily rubbed his eyes and looked at the display, trying to figure out who was calling him.

"Blocked number" He muttered to himself, closing the bedroom door behind him. "Of course."

He clicked Accept and pressed the phone to his ear as he plopped down on the couch. "Hello?"

Nothing. No one was there. Logan glanced at the display and cursed when he realized he'd missed the call.

"Whatever." He mumbled, gripping the phone as he headed back to bed. Sleep was overrated anyway. The phone suddenly vibrated in his hand again and he quickly glanced at the display. Blocked call…again.

"Hello?" Logan said, pressing the phone to his ear once more. Dead air greeted him. "Hello?" Logan tried again, this time more forcefully. Nothing. Only static. "Real funny." Logan said, disconnecting the call. Just what he needed…prank calls in the middle of the night. Nice. He rolled his eyes, heading back to his room. He was so not in the mood to deal with juvenile games right now.

The phone buzzed in his hand again. Logan sighed loudly, shoving the phone to his ear without checking to see who was calling.

"Quit calling me!" He growled into the phone. "This isn't funny."

"Logan?" Camille's whispered voice said in his ear.

Logan raised an eyebrow, confused. "Camille? You've been prank calling me?"

"What? No, Logan, listen…someone is in the apartment."

"What?"

"Someone. Is. In. The. Apartment!" Camille repeated more slowly, allowing the words to sink into his sleep deprived brain. "He just tried to get into the bedroom!" She stopped talking as a sudden crash sounded loudly over the phone. "Logan! Come here and save us!"

"Camille, stay in the bedroom and don't leave! I'm on my way." Logan ordered, heading for the door. "Do not open that door, do you hear me?"

"Wasn't planning on it." Camille whispered back.

"Find something to use as a weapon and get in the far corner of the room, away from the door. I'll be there in two minutes."

"Logan, he's trying the door handle again…please hurry!"

"Two minutes, Camille. Camille?" Logan repeated when the call went dead. "Camille! Dammit!" He cursed, reaching the door. He paused when the phone began to vibrate again. Camille, calling back.

"Camille, I'm on my way." Logan said into the phone.

"She won't be there." The voice on the other end didn't belong to Camille and Logan stopped dead, immediately checking the call display. Blocked call. Again.

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"A fan." The voice was raspy…gravelly…obviously being distorted. "Did you like my letter?"

"This number is unlisted." Logan growled into the phone. "How did you get it?"

The voice laughed, the sound lacking all trace of humor. It actually sent shivers down Logan's spine. "Nothing is unlisted if you know where to look, Logan."

"Listen, freak." Logan said. "I'm hanging up now. Don't call again and stay away from me and my friend."

"Ah, I wouldn't hang up, little Logan. I would not be pleased. Don't you want to please me?"

"Not even a little bit." Logan answered angrily. "You can go screw yourself for all I care."

"It's not me I'm interested in screwing. I have your pretty little friend for that." The voice taunted, making Logan's blood boil. "You should take care to please me, little Logan. I'll be nicer to you if you please me. I won't hurt you so much."

Logan swallowed, trying his best to sound in control, but the truth was, this guy was freaking him out. "I'm hanging up now, pyscho."

"And then who will save your friend?"

Logan stopped, his finger on the Disconnect button. The sane part of his mind told him to hang up, but he couldn't. "What are you talking about?" He asked, knowing he would regret it.

"I have your friend…the one you stole from me. I took her back."

Logan almost dropped the phone. His mouth suddenly dry, he swayed dizzily, sure he would pass out on the living room floor. No….no no no no no!

He took a deep breath. "Nice try." He said into the phone.

"You don't believe me." The voice on the other end of the phone said, almost sounding sad. "I'm disappointed…you should know I'll never lie to you." The person spoke away from the phone, as if to someone near him, then returned. "I don't know how to convince you, other than to let you talk to the girl. Say hi to Logan, Camille."

"HELP ME!" A new voice screamed, so obviously Camille that Logan thought he might throw up. The words were followed by a scream so full of panic and fear that Logan couldn't think straight.

The psycho had Camille. He had her.

"Don't hurt her, you psycho!" Logan yelled into the phone. "If you hurt her, I'll…"

"You'll what?" The voice laughed, mocking him. "Pee yourself?"

"You don't scare me, freak." Logan growled. "I will find you and when I do, you'll wish you never started this."

"I'm not hard to find, little Logan." The man mocked. "Camille and I are right outside, having some fun in the park. How much fun we have depends on you. Come to the park now…ALONE..and Camille can leave, untouched. Take your time or bring your stupid friends with you and I'll keep the girl for my play thing."

Logan's knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone tightly. He took a deep breath. "I'm coming out now. I'll do whatever you want…just don't hurt Camille." He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. "Please don't hurt her." He whispered, hating how the fear he felt was so evident in those four words.

"Hurry, little Logan. I know Camille hopes you'll get here soon." Another scream ripped through the phone before the connection suddenly ended, leaving Logan staring down at the now useless phone.

"Shit." Logan muttered. "Shit shit shit!" He looked around the apartment, mentally running through his options. He could wake the guys, but then the pervert would hurt Camille. Yet he knew it was a horrible idea to go out there alone. There really was no option…he knew what he had to do.

The man stared intently at the doors, almost unable to contain his excitement. The boy was coming. The boy was coming out to him…alone..and he could do whatever he wanted with him. The boy would belong to him and him alone.

This was going so perfectly.

He was ready for the game to end. The room in the basement was ready. He had everything he needed to make the voices happy. All he needed was the object that the voices desired…and he was on his way out.

The man ducked back into the trees as the door opened and a shadow slipped out of the Palm Woods, huddled in a zipped up hoodie. The man gripped his knife, watching the boy's progress as he slipped past the deserted pool, tripping over a pool chair. The boy cursed softly, the word drifting towards the man on the light breeze. The man smiled…he could hear the fear in that one word. The boy was scared.

The voices were happy. They told him to make the boy bleed. The man gripped the fillet knife…he would make the boy bleed. And bleed. And bleed. And bleed.

He slipped behind a tree as the boy walked slowly…cautiously…into the park. The boy was no fool. He was taking his time, surveying his surroundings. His caution made the man even more excited. He watched the boy stop, cocking his head to the side to listen. The man decided to give him something to listen to. He pressed Play on his recorder and a scream rang through the air…Camille's scream. The boy jerked back, as if punched, and whipped his head towards the sound.

The man stifled a laugh and pressed Stop. The scream cut off sharply as the boy took off running…right to where the man was hiding.

Almost. He was almost there. The man gripped the knife. It was too easy. Too damn easy. The boy was falling right into his trap like a headstrong idiot. And he was supposed to be a genius! A fleeting twinge of disappointment washed over the man at the simplicity of the hunt. He could only hope the boy would make up for it in the basement. He wondered briefly if cutting off a human appendage would be as satisfying and easy as a cat's had been. The man frowned into the darkness, his eyes narrowing. The boy had stopped again, suddenly becoming more cautious. The boy was too far away. He needed him closer. When the time came to transport the boy's body, the closer he was to the van, the better.

The man hit Play on the recorder again and Camille begged for help. The man loved that part. The girl really was a wonderful actress. Any man would have a hard time ignoring the desperate pleas that rang out through the park. The boy didn't stand a chance.

A few more yards. The man would soon be able to overpower him and end the game. Just a few more yards.

The boy stopped again, as if finally sensing the danger he was in.

The man crept closer, using the shadows as cover.

Just a few more yards.

"Damn!" Camille swore, glaring down at her phone. Of all the times for her battery to die! "Jo, I need my charger!"

Jo nodded, grabbing the charger off the dresser. "Is he coming?"

Camille nodding, quickly plugging in her phone. "He'll be here in two minutes!" Her eyes surveyed the room, searching for a weapon. They landed on the hockey stick in the corner of the room…Kendall's hockey stick. In Jo's room. Weird.

"Uh, why is Kendall's hockey stick in your bedroom?" She asked her friend, reaching for the stick. The door handle jiggled again.

"Not the time to ask!" Jo whispered back, her eyes wide.

Camille gripped her makeshift weapon and inched towards the door, adrenaline coursing through her veins. The door rattled even harder, the person on the other end trying harder to get it to open. Camille stared at the door, praying Logan would hurry.

"Jo? Camille?" A soft voice called from the other side of the door. "Guys? Are you awake? Why is the door locked?"

"Stephanie!" Camille breathed a sigh of relief, quickly opening the door. "Oh my god! We heard banging! We thought someone was in the apartment!"

Stephanie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. That was me. I got up to go to the bathroom and I ran into the coffee table. I heard whispering in here so I thought I'd see what you were up to."

"We thought you were a crazy freak here to murder us!" Jo laughed.

"I even called Logan." Camille frowned. "Oh my gosh! I called Logan! I need to call him back. I feel so stupid!" She quickly dialed his number. "Weird, it's busy." Camille shrugged. "I'll just apologize in person when he gets here."

"I'm still freaked out." Jo said, turning on the lights. "I won't be going back to sleep any time soon!"

"Me neither." Camille agreed. "I am definitely up now."

"Let's just make some snacks and watch TV." Stephanie suggested, flipping on even more lights as the girls headed out to the living room. Jo quickly disappeared into the kitchen to make coffee and popcorn while Camille and Stephanie searched for something decent to watch.

"Nothing scary." Camille told her friend. "My heart is still racing."

"Cartoons it is." Stephanie laughed as Jo returned with the snacks.

"I'm glad we weren't relying on Logan to save us." Jo observed, sitting down on the couch next to Camille. It's been, like, 15 minutes since you called and he's still not here."

Camille frowned. "That's odd, isn't it? Let me call him again…maybe he fell back asleep. My Knight in Shining Armor." She laughed as she dialed the number, relieved when Logan answered.

"Camille!" Logan's voice sounded strained…full of fear. "Where are you?"

"Ah, that's a weird question." Camille told him. "I'm still in the apartment. Where are you? I thought you were coming here."

Logan gasped. "Wait…what? You're safe in the apartment?"

"Logan, what's going on with you? Of course I'm in the apartment. It was a false alarm. Stephanie was making the noise. Where are you?" Camille could feel her earlier fear quickly returning. Logan was acting very odd.

"Camille, I think I might be in some trouble. I'm in the park. I'm heading back in now. Call the guys and have them meet me in the lobby…I may need some back up. And whatever you do, don't open the door for anyone. The creep is here somewhere."

"You're in the park?" Camille screeched into the phone. "Alone?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She quickly mouthed for Jo to call Kendall. "Logan, we can't go anywhere alone! You know that!"

"It's a long story." Logan said. It sounded like he was running. Why was he running?

"He's in the park." Camille told Jo. "Tell Kendall and the guys to get down there now!"

Jo nodded, eyes wide, and quickly relayed the message.

"Logan?" Camille asked when she heard a noise on the other end of the phone.

"Almost back." Logan began, only to be cut off abruptly. Camille heard a loud, pained grunt, then the sound of the phone hitting the ground. A new voice could suddenly be heard, very near to the phone.

"You disappoint me, boy." The voice rasped. "I thought you would be harder to catch."

"Logan!" Camille screamed into the phone, her face turning white.

"Don't worry about him." The stranger suddenly addressed her, speaking into the phone. "I'll take good care of him. And I'll take care of you next." The call ended, leaving Camille staring at the phone.

"The park, Kendall!" Jo was screaming into her phone. "Something's happened to Logan…oh god, Kendall, hurry! Get to the park!"

Logan grunted as someone ran into him, bodily knocking him to the ground. He quickly rolled onto his back, searching dizzily for his attacker.

"You disappoint me, boy." A masked figure towered over Logan, a long knife in his hand. "I thought you would be harder to catch."

Logan's eyes grew wide as Camille screamed his name though the phone. The attacker brutally kicked out, catching Logan on the side of his head. He fell back to the ground, groaning, as the man lazily reached down to retrieve the phone.

"Don't worry about him. I'll take good care of him. And I'll take care of you next."

Logan groaned as he tried to scramble away from his attacker. "Stay away from her."

The man grinned behind his mask, loving the fear that he saw in the boy's eyes. He lazily leaned over the younger man. "Going somewhere, Logan?"

Logan struggled to rise, to defend himself. His head swum dizzily, his eyes blacking over. The man kicked him in the side, loving the yelp of pain he received for his efforts. The boy made such nice sounds. The voices loved them. The voices wanted more.

The man threw himself on top of the boy, pinning him to the ground with his weight. The boy struggled nicely, his eyes widening in shock and fear as the man's face came within inches of his own.

"The voices want more." The man whispered in the boy's ear. "The voices want a taste."

Logan struggled against the weight on his chest, but he couldn't budge. He stared up in horror as his attacker raised his knife, the moon light glinting off the metal, and swiftly brought it down, plunging it down into Logan's shoulder. White hot pain shot through Logan's arm, burning with an intensity that shocked him. Logan clamped his teeth together, his eyes watering as he tried to suppress his scream.

"Scream, little Logan." The voice rasped in his ear. "Give the voices what they want."

"Go to hell!" Logan spat out, trying to dislodge the person on his chest.

"The voices don't like that." The knife twisted in his shoulder, eliciting the scream the man so badly wanted to hear. He loved the sound. It was so rich with pain…so perfect. "Yes!" The man moaned. "Yes! That's what they want!" He pulled the knife free, relishing the look of horror in the boy's eyes as he greedily licked the blood from the blade. It tasted sweet…like honey. The voices loved the taste of the boy, quickly demanding more. They would get it in the special room…the room in the basement. The man pulled a syringe from his pocket, taking off the cap. The contents of the syringe would render the boy unconscious.

"Time to go." The man whispered to the terrified boy.

Logan grabbed his wounded shoulder, watching in horror as the psycho pulled a syringe from his pocket. His head swimming from the recent abuse and increasing blood loss, Logan stared at the needle, unable to tear his eyes away. Whatever was in that syringe, Logan knew he was dead if it entered his bloodstream.

Adrenaline and years of playing hockey with concussions gave him the strength he needed to act, taking his attacker by surprise. He swung out with his good arm, catching the man squarely in the jaw. The man grunted, dropping the syringe as he toppled off of Logan's chest, falling to the ground.

"You like that? Do you like that?" Logan yelled, quickly scrambling to his feet. The man snarled, lunging angrily at him with the knife as Logan jumped back, out of reach.

The voices screamed for retribution, angered beyond belief by the smug look on the boy's face. They wanted his head. The man would make him pay in blood.

Logan kicked out, hitting the man in the stomach with a blinding force, propelling him to the ground. The man fell, stunned by the blow, as the voices screamed, yelling at him to get the boy.

"You chose the wrong guy to mess with!" Logan shouted down at the man, anger and adrenaline fueling him, dampening the pain in his shoulder. "It is SO on right now! Get up and I'll knock you out!"

"I will make you scream." The man growled, slowly rising to his feel. Logan kicked out again, hitting him in the jaw, snapping his head back.

"I am not some little girl that you surprised in an ally!" Logan snarled back at the man. "You'll need more than that sissy knife to scare me!" Logan kicked the man repeatedly in the side, rewarded with a pained grunt. "I'm calling the cops, freak. Why don't you just do yourself a favor and stay down!"

"Logan!"

Logan looked away from the man as he heard his name, giving his attacker the second he needed to act. He grabbed the syringe and jabbed it into Logan's leg, plunging the contents into him. Logan looked down, staring dumbly at his leg, his eyes already glazing over.

The man cursed his missed opportunity as the boy's stupid friends converged on the park. He had to leave the boy this time. The voices were pissed. So was the man. He watched as the boy slumped to the ground, his breathing rapid as he fought the effects of the sedative. The man leaned over him, bringing his mouth down close to the boy's ear.

"Next time." He promised, watching Logan's eyes. He could see the terror and uncertainty shining back at him, even as they slowly closed. "Next time we meet, you'll wish you'd come quietly. You'll wished you'd pleased me." He patted Logan's cheek in a pseudo affectionate gesture. "You'll wish for death."

Logan struggled to stay awake as the man breathed the words into his ear. He couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't safe. Despite his efforts, the drugs overpowered him and he closed his eyes, succumbing to the darkness. The man took one last look at his lost prize and sighed at the missed opportunity. The game had not gone as he'd planned. He ran off into the darkness as the boy's imbecile friends ran up, searching for their pretty friend. The man had underestimated the boy. He would not do so again. The game was suddenly more interesting and despite the angry voices screaming in his head, the man was elated. He would get the boy next time. He would make him scream again.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: This chapter took forever to write! I thought I'd never get it done! And then I had it all written and my computer froze up and I had to write it all over again! I hope everyone liked it. Please drop me a line and let me know what you thought…was it suspenseful? Did it freak you out at all? I was trying to freak you out. LOL. Tell me I freaked you out…the voices want to hear you say it… ;) ~LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 6*: Chapter 6**

**A/N: The voices are extremely happy that you are all seriously creeped out…but the voices are sad that I do not own Big Time Rush. Thanks again for the reviews. ~ LazyLazyWriter (who isn't being lazy at all ;)**

**CHAPTER SIX**

He had to taste him.

He just had to taste him again.

He could still taste the metallic tang of the boy on his tongue…still see the look of fear in his eyes…still hear his delicious screams of pain when the knife plunged into his body.

The man wanted more.

The voices demanded revenge.

The voices sang out for retribution. They wanted to make the boy scream more. The voices wanted to see the boy in chains…in the room in the basement.

They wanted more than the simple teaser in the park. They wanted what was promised to them by the man.

And they wanted it soon.

Or they would take their payment from the man.

The man preferred they take it from the boy. And the man preferred to take what he needed from the boy as well.

The boy deserved the pain…the boy deserved the agony of the basement room.

The boy had dared fight back…the boy had dared to deny the man what he wanted.

And for the first time, the man was regretting the game.

The game had given the boy time to prepare…time to develop the idea that the boy could control his own destiny…and rule his own fear.

The boy was wrong.

The man controlled the boy and the man held the boy's life in his superior hands.

The boy just didn't realize it yet.

It was time to end the game and take what belonged to the man.

The boy thought he'd won.

The man would show him how wrong he was.

"Logan! Can you hear me, buddy? Logan! Wake up!"

Logan was vaguely aware that someone was calling his name. The person seemed so far away and Logan was so comfortable in his black cocoon, lazily drifting in and out of consciousness. He wished the loud person would go away.

"Logan! Wake up!"

Kendall. Logan was pretty sure the loud person was Kendall. Kendall sucked.

Logan's shoulder was throbbing. Big time. Why was his shoulder throbbing? And his back was cold. Freezing cold. That was weird. He felt like he was lying on the ground.

But he wasn't lying on the ground. That would be weird.

Right?

"Logan, you have to open your eyes!" The voice then got fainter, as if the speaker had turned away to talk to someone else. "What did that freak do to him?

"Well, there's a syringe sticking out of his leg." Another voice said, worriedly, probably James.

Wait, what? A syringe sticking out of his leg? That sounded really weird.

"Ambulance and police are on the way." A different voice added, the words alarming Logan even more. Who was injured?

And why did his shoulder hurt so freakin much?

Oh geez! Logan's haze filled mind finally caught up. He was pretty sure he was the one that was hurt. Oh crap. Logan began to struggle with his mind, to overcome the comfortable haze and wake up. He tried to open his eyes. Bright light assaulted him…someone was shining a light directly into his eyes.

"Ow!" Logan moaned. "Dammit guys!"

"LOGAN!" Carlos yelled. "You're awake!"

"And blinded."

The light moved away. "Sorry. Just hang tight, buddy." Kendall told him. "Ambulance will be here soon."

"Why does my shoulder hurt" Logan whispered, closing his eyes again.

"Uh, you don't remember?" James asked, a weird look on his face.

"Remember what?" Logan's mind was so fuzzy, he was having trouble remembering his own name.

"Uh…um…well…" James stammered, "The..uh…you know…the crazy guy, he ah…he totally stabbed you, dude!" James blurted out.

"What!" Logan yelled, trying to sit up. Kendall pushed him back down, telling him to lie still.

"Logan, just stay calm." Kendall ordered, his voice soothing. "You need to lie down and wait for the nice paramedics to check you over."

Logan struggled against his friend, trying to sit up. "I don't want to wait for the nice paramedics to check me over!" He said. "I want to go after that freak and end this once and for all!"

James shook his head over Kendall's shoulder. "Logan, you've been unconscious for more than twenty minutes already. More than enough time for the guy to get the hell out of here."

Logan rolled his eyes, ceasing his struggles. "So the freak got away."

"For now." Carlos said. "He got away for now. What's important is that you're safe and not bleeding too much and the paramedics will fix you up."

Not bleeding too much. Yeah, that was a good thing. Bright lights flashed at the entrance to the hotel, alerting the boys to the arrival of help. Carlos raced over to flag the cops down, returning shortly with help in tow.

Kendall looked alarmed as the blond detective from Gustavo's office, Simmons' partner, stalked over to the group. He knelt down next to Logan, surveying the damage to his shoulder. "Where is Detective Simmons?" Kendall asked the other man. "I asked for Detective Simmons."

The other man shook his head. "He's out on another case tonight. He's not available. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Detective Morris, his partner. We're working this case together."

"Ow!" Logan mumbled from the ground, drawing Kendall's attention.

"You okay, Logan?" He asked his friend, still frowning at the other detective.

"No, I'm not okay!" Logan responded bitterly. "Some freaky creep stabbed me in the arm, licked my blood off the knife…did I mention that part?...and stuck me with a needle. Which was probably not sanitary and will probably cause some sort of really messed up infection! What makes you think I would be okay?"

Detective Morris leaned back down near Logan's head. "Did you get a good look at the guy?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got a really great look at his ski mask." Logan retorted. "I could totally pick that ski mask out in a line up. Got any suspects yet?"

James and Carlos smirked as the detective merely shook his head. Logan's wit was a bitch…especially when he wasn't feeling good.

Morris sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll be honest with you boys…we have no good suspects at this time. We've been chasing after this guy for a year now and we are no closer to catching him then we were a year ago." He glanced down at Logan. "And now his game is changing and we still can't catch a break. He's become a killer and that's got me worried."

"It's got me kind of worried too!" Logan called up at him. He winced as the medic checked him over, gently probing the knife wound as he tried to stop the flow of blood.

James frowned. "How can you have no evidence? We've all seen CSI; we know you can get DNA from practically everything."

Carlos was nodding next to him. "Just last week they caught that guy because of a piece of fingernail that they found at the scene."

"That was pretty cool." James added.

"And the week before that, didn't they catch the killer because of a stray hair?" Carlos reminded them.

Morris sighed. "That's TV. In real life, we are not that lucky. Any evidence we have been able to collect over the past year has been inconclusive. We've found one fingerprint, left at the scene of one of the very first rapes. The transfer to evidence tape didn't work and the fingerprint was lost. We collected semen from the murder vic a few days ago. Simmons told me the results came back inconclusive. No other evidence has ever been found. This guy is good."

"That makes me feel very safe and secure, let me tell you." Logan mumbled, rising slowly to his feet, with the help of the medic. He swayed unsteadily as his vision rolled, reminding him of his recent blood lost.

Blood. The man had tasted his blood.

Logan thought for a moment that he might throw up, right there in the park. The man had actually licked his blood off the knife. He was a sick freak. A sick freak that the police couldn't catch.

"I'm dead." He muttered, closing his eyes. "I'm so dead."

James grabbed hold of his arm to steady him. "Don't count yourself out yet, Logan. We'll get this guy."

The medic turned to Morris, his face grim. "We going to need to take him to the hospital and stitch up that knife wound." He said. "He's lost a lot of blood too and he may have a cracked rib."

Logan shook his head. "No hospital. Not going. No way."

The medic stared at him in disbelief. "You've been stabbed in your shoulder. The wound will become infected if you don't get it cleaned out and properly sutured. You may or may not need a blood transfusion to replace the blood you've lost. You most definitely need IV fluids. You should get those ribs x-rayed to check for broken bones. You might have a concussion. And those are just the problems I've accessed in the 10 minutes I've been checking you over."

Logan continued to shake his head. "I don't care. I'm not going." He knew he was pouting, but he just didn't care. The sick freak had tasted his blood. He had a right to pout.

Kendall grabbed hold of Logan's other arm. "He's going to the hospital." He assured the medic.

"Kendall!"

"You're going. End of story." Kendall glared at his friend, his look leaving no room for argument. Logan scowled. He was not in the mood for overbearing, obnoxious, bossy friends right now. He wanted to go back up to the apartment and lock himself in his room. Forever.

The man had promised he'd pay when he caught him again.

Logan had kicked him in the face. Said things. Taunted the guy. He was in some deep crap now. His friends just didn't understand.

"You're wallowing." Carlos whispered in Logan's ear, snapping Logan out of his thoughts. "We can see it plainly on your face."

"I have the right to wallow." Logan reminded them. "This guy is freaking me out."

"Come on, Logster." Kendall said. "Let's go get you stitched up."

Logan sighed. "Fine, I'll go. But I'm not riding in the ambulance. We can drive to the hospital in our car."

"Sign off and you can have it your way, kid." The medic said, realizing a lost cause when he saw it. He got his signature, shot Logan one last annoyed glance and drove away.

"I'll drive you." Detective Morris ordered. "I want you to go over every single detail with me again, beginning with the first phone call. We've got to nail this guy."

Camille and Jo rushed over to the guys' apartment as soon as they got the call that Logan was back. The second Carlos opened the door, Camille launched herself inside, immediately searching out her hero. And the object of her intense anger.

"Logan Mitchell!" She yelled when she spotted him on the couch. He winced, taken aback by the anger in her voice. She marched over to him, her hands on her hips. "What the hell were you thinking, going out into the park by yourself? You could have been killed!"

Logan's eyes were wide as he glanced around the room, searching for help. His friends all diverted their own eyes, refusing to meet his gaze. He sighed. He was alone. It was time to beg for mercy.

"Camille, I can explain." He began hesitantly.

"I doubt it!" Camille retorted. "We agreed not to go anywhere alone. You heard Detective Simmons! You gave me crap about going to Jo's by myself. And you go out…in the middle of the night…by yourself?"

"It's a long story." Logan tried again, sitting back further on the couch to put more distance between him and the irate girl.

Camille shook her head. "There was no reason for you to act that stupid. What were you thinking?"

"Camille…" Kendall began, finally taking pity on Logan. She turned and leveled a glare at him, making him cower back. He quickly held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture and backed away. "Logan, you're on your own."

Logan sighed loudly. "If you would just let me explain."

"Explain what? That you thought you could handle this guy on your own? That you thought you weren't in any danger? That you thought you were some kind of hero? What? What reason could possibly be good enough to justify such stupidity?"

Logan lowered his eyes, refusing to look up at her. "I thought he had you." He said quietly.

Camille stopped ranting and looked down at him. "I'm sorry, what?"

Logan looked up, meeting her gaze. "I said I thought he had you. He told me he had you. You screamed over the phone. You begged for help in the park. I thought he had you." His face turned red as he blushed. "And I couldn't stand the thought of you in the hands of that monster. I had no choice but to do what he said."

Everyone in the room stared openly at the pair. Kendall, James and Carlos had heard the story in the car on the way to the hospital…they knew and could completely understand why he'd put himself in danger. Camille and Jo had had no idea.

"You risked yourself…to save me?" Camille whispered, awed by his act. Logan nodded.

"I can't believe you did that." Jo said softly, looking at Logan in amazement.

Logan reached up, taking Camille's hand in his. Ignoring everyone else in the room, he gazed up intently at her. "I would go to hell for you, Camille. I would do anything to keep you from harm. And after seeing what this man is capable of, I will never ever allow him to get near you."

Camille slowly sat down next to him. "I called you. I told you someone was in the apartment. It's my fault this happened to you."

"No." Logan shook his head. "He had a recording of you. I would have believed him regardless."

"You went out to meet him…alone…to save me."

Logan nodded. "And I would do it again. And again. And again."

"Logan, I'm so sorry!" Camille sobbed, throwing her arms around him, brushing his wounded shoulder in the process. Logan hissed at the explosion of pain that ripped through his arm, making Camille flinch back. "Oh my god, and he stabbed you! Logan, I'm so awful!"

"It's fine." Logan assured her. "Just a small cut."

"Only took five stitches to close up." Carlos informed her helpfully, earning a glare from Logan. "What? That's good…right?"

"It's not great." James shook his head.

"Better than six stitches." Kendall said.

"Not helping, guys." Logan muttered, his good arm around Camille, who was still sniffling.

"Just promise me you won't go running off alone again, Logan." Camille suddenly demanded, looking into Logan's eyes. "Please? I don't want anything to happen to you."

"He won't go running off alone again." Kendall answered for him. "We won't let him." The other guys nodded.

"Besides," Logan said smugly. "I got some good hits in. Maybe this guy won't bother us anymore."

Camille shivered. "We can only hope." She turned to Jo. "I have to go back to my apartment and check on Daisy. She probably needs some food and water and I'm sure she misses me."

Jo laughed. "She's a cat, Camille. I'm sure she's fine. Cats are pretty self-sufficient."

"Even so," Camille said, standing up. "I want to make sure she's okay."

"I'll go with you." James offered, walking with the two girls to the door. "I would feel better if you girls didn't go wandering around alone."

"Carlos and I will stay here with Logan." Kendall said, watching the trio leave.

"I don't need a babysitter." Logan told them petulantly.

"Obviously you do." Kendall responded. "That guy came pretty close to getting to you last night."

Logan settled back into the soft cushions of the couch. "You don't' have to remind me." He said. "When I began to black out from the sedative, I thought I was a goner. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did, who knows where I would be right now."

Carlos shuttered. "Let's not think about that."

"I was so scared last night when I thought he had Camille." Logan admitted shyly. "I can't stand the thought of losing her."

"You won't." Said Kendall. "We'll make sure she's safe until this guy is caught. Nothing bad will happen to her." He paused as his phone began to ring, his eyebrow rising when he saw the caller. "What's up James?"

"You guys are going to want to call Detective Simmons or Morris or whoever and get over here right now." James shouted into the phone. Kendall had to press the phone closer to his ear to hear him over the strange noise in the background. Was that screaming? Or sobbing?

"What's going on?" Kendall asked as Logan and Carlos both stared at him. "What's that in the background? Is someone screaming?

"Screaming?" Logan said, standing up quickly. Too quickly. He winced at the painful pull in his side, his bruised ribs aching.

"That's Camille." James shouted, trying to be heard. "Jo is trying to calm her down but I think she's going to need Logan."

"I'm going to Camille's!" Logan said, rushing to the door, followed by Carlos

"Logan wait! James what is going on? Why is Camille screaming?" Kendall yelled, following Logan and Carlos out the door.

"The guy was here." James said. "The guy was in her apartment."

Logan rushed down the hall, running faster than he would have thought possible only minutes before. He slammed into the stairwell door and ran up the stairs, stopping on Camille's floor. A minute later he was bolting through her apartment door, Kendall and Carlos hot on his heels. The sight that met him shocked and scared him to the bone. Camille was screeching and sobbing in the corner of the living room, her face stark white and covered in tears, while Jo was hugging her tightly. James stood helplessly off to the side, clenching and unclenching his hands in obvious agitation. He rushed over to Logan, intercepting him before he could get to Camille.

"The guy was here last night." James whispered while Logan stared over at Camille. It was breaking his heart to see her so distraught.

"She's ok." Logan said, as if to reassure himself. "She wasn't here last night."

"Logan," James continued, leading him down the hall, towards the back of the apartment. "He left you guys a message and he…well, he…" James faltered, hesitating outside Camille's bedroom. He took a deep breath, his eyes bright with unshed tears. That scared Logan more than anything…James rarely ever cried.

"James, what happened?" Logan demanded, brushing past his friend to go into Camille's room.

"Logan! Wait! He killed her cat, man." James called after him, "The bastard killed her cat."

Logan stopped dead in his tracks, staring in utter horror at the carnage on Camille's bed. He'd never in his lifetime seen something so completely horrible and so absolutely terrifying. "Oh god."

"What the?" Kendall stopped next to Logan, his own eyes widening at the sight before him. "What is that?"

James walked up behind them. "That was her cat. That's what's left of her cat."

"Oh no." Carlos said quietly. He quickly turned around and left the room, unable to stand the sight any longer.

Logan looked back at him, then returned his attention to the bed. Camille's cat…her precious cat whom she loved more than anything…was barely recognizable, nothing more than a bloody mess sprawled all over Camille's formerly white bedspread.

"Camille found her." It wasn't a question. Logan knew it in his heart that Camille had been the one to discover the massacre.

James nodded. "She came in here to check on her and ran back out screaming. Jo ran to help her and I ran back here to find….this...butchery on her bed. Whoever did this is one sick whack job."

Logan nodded.

"He, ah, left her a note too. It's on her pillow…stapled to the cat's head." James cringed as he pointed to the front of the bed.

"You read it?" Logan asked.

James nodded somberly. "It's addressed to Camille. I think he thought you'd be in his possession by the time she read it."

Logan took a deep breath, hesitant to approach the gore. He slowly walked over, feeling a deep sadness for Camille's loss as he surveyed the damage to her loved pet. The creep had been thorough in his mutilation of the animal. No part remained untouched…unabused. It was a truly horrific and disturbing sight. Stapled to the animal's head, as James had said, was a note, written in red ink. Or blood. Logan wasn't sure. He grabbed the letter before he could lose his nerve and hastily retreated back to the door, as far away from the bloodshed as he could get.

"What does it say?" Kendall asked quietly. James waited for Logan to read what he'd already read moments before, saying nothing. He watched his friend's face darken as he read over the words.

"Sick freak." Logan shuttered. "He'll pay for this."

"What does it say?" Kendall asked again.

"Here." Logan passed the note to him, brushing past him on his way back to Camille.

Kendall looked down at the note, a chill running though him as he read the words written on the single piece of paper.

**Did you love the cat?**

**It screamed while I killed it.**

**While I butchered it.**

**While I cut off its head.**

**Maybe I'm doing the same thing to your boyfriend.**

**Your precious Logan.**

**Maybe he's screaming.**

**Maybe he's crying.**

**Maybe he's dead.**

**I hope I have him.**

**In my special room.**

**If not, I'll have him soon.**

**Be glad you weren't here.**

**This could have been you.**

**It will be you soon.**

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: No real cats were harmed during the writing of this chapter. Please review. ~LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 7*: Chapter 7**

**A/N: I'm upping the rating on this story to M. Things will definitely be M from now on ;) Poor Logan….**

**And as always, I do not own Big Time Rush. Poo.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Camille had finally stopped screaming.

Logan was glad for that. He couldn't stand seeing her in so much pain.

But Camille wasn't talking. To anyone. She sat alone, huddled in the corner of her living room, staring blankly out into the room. Logan wasn't even sure she noticed that anyone was there. In her hands she held her precious Daisy's toy mouse, a gift she'd given her for her birthday the month before. It had been the cat's favorite toy.

Camille had told Logan that Daisy would play fetch, like a dog, bringing Camille the toy mouse to throw, and then she'd run after it and bring it back, ready to chase it again. Logan recalled thinking it was weird, but leave it to Camille to have a weird cat.

And now her beloved cat was dead. Murdered by a psychopathic rapist, turned killer. The same creep that seemed bent on doing the same thing to them.

Logan shuddered. In his hand he clutched the note that the killer had left for Camille. He'd obviously been hoping…and fairly certain…that Logan would be his prisoner by the time that Camille found the note.

A prisoner in a special room. That line had made Logan's heart nearly stop. In that instant, he'd made a vow to himself never to find out what was so special about that room. Ever.

The letter also mentioned making Logan scream.

Quite frankly, Logan didn't want to scream. He had absolutely no interest in screaming.

His mind couldn't seem to get past the screaming in a special room thing.

Logan turned his attention back to Camille as Jo made yet another attempt to get her friend to talk…to come out of the corner. It hadn't worked the last five times she'd tried it…Logan was pretty sure it wouldn't work this time.

"We've got the remains cleaned up." James said quietly, walking up behind Logan. "We found most of her…oddly though, we couldn't locate her tail." Logan raised an eyebrow at that and nodded silently, so glad that James was there. Of everyone, he'd handled the scene the best, immediately taking charge and offering to box up Daisy's remains for proper burial.

Carlos had immediately gone to console Camille…something Logan knew he should be doing and it was driving him crazy that Carlos had been hugging Camille and that she had been hugging him back. He knew he shouldn't be jealous, but damn it, he was. More than anything, he wanted to be the one to protect Camille and to offer her comfort and security.

But he was mentally freaking out.

And to be honest, Logan thought he had the right to his own freak out right now.

He didn't want to scream in someone's special room.

He certainly didn't want anything cut off his body.

He didn't want to be butchered like the cat.

He didn't want this sick freak to be obsessed with him anymore.

But most of all, he didn't want anything to happen to Camille.

The night before, when he'd heard her scream over the phone, begging for help, was the worst moment of his life. Worse than being confronted by the psycho in the park. Worse than being stabbed in the shoulder. Worse than anything else he could possibly imagine.

He thought she was going to die. And that had made him want to die right along with her.

"Detective Morris is on his way." Carlos said quietly, walking over to Logan. "He wants to see the letter."

Again, Logan nodded quietly.

This whole situation had become too real…too much for him to handle. The guy had been inside Camille's apartment, had murdered her cat and left her the letter.

He'd gotten too close.

"Camille." Jo was saying quietly, bending down next to her friend. "Come on, let's go back to my place for a while."

Logan watched Camille's face, waiting to see if there was any change. There wasn't. Still white as a sheet, her face remained frozen in the look of horror she'd worn since discovering her pet. There was little else in her eyes.

"Logan," Kendall whispered in his ear. "You need to go to Camille. She needs you."

Logan clutched at the note even harder, his eyes glued to Camille. Help her? Logan wasn't sure he could. It was his fault that she was in this mess in the first place. His fault that this person was after them.

"Logan." Kendall tried again. "You're the only one that can help her now. Get her out of this apartment and back to Jo's."

"She won't be safe there." Logan said quietly, almost to himself. "She won't be safe anywhere. This guy can get to us wherever we go."

James shook his head. "No. He can't."

"He can't?" Logan shook his head in disbelief, his voice rising. "He…can't? Are you even being serious right now?" He clenched his free hand, almost enjoying the resulting pain the action caused in his injured shoulder. At least now his mind had something else to focus on. "Exactly what makes you think that this perverted pyscho can't get to us, whenever he wants, wherever we go? He got in here. He killed Camille's cat. He attacked me in the park and licked my BLOOD OFF HIS KNIFE!" Logan was yelling now, enjoying the release of tension. "He wants to make me scream in a special room!"

"Oh god!" Camille sobbed, finally making a sound. "Oh my god, he's going to kill us. He's going to do what he did to Daisy." She began to rock back and forth, in the corner of the living room, hugging her knees.

"Logan!" Jo said sternly, giving him a disapproving look. "Camille, it's going to be okay." She bent down and hugged her friend close, offering gentle shooshing noises.

James took hold of his elbow, forcefully leading him towards the door. "Now isn't the time for a freak out, bro." He told him quietly, opening the door to lead him out.

"Now is the perfect time for a freak out." Logan argued, still clutching the letter. The letter written in red ink…at least they'd figured that mystery out. Not blood. Just red ink.

"James is right." Kendall said, closing the apartment door behind them. Logan could still hear Jo talking quietly to Camille, even behind the closed door. For a moment, he regretted his outburst, for the pain it caused Camille.

"Do you even want to guess what's in this special room that's going to make me scream?" Logan said, turning angrily on his friends. "Hmm? Let's ponder this for a moment. Knives? Saws? Chains? Drains for the blood to run down? I've seen freaky movies…I know the drill."

James shuddered, looking away.

Kendall stared him straight in the eye, his beacon of strength. "Whatever is in that room, you will never see it, Logan." He said it like he actually believed it. "We won't let this guy get to you. Not again."

"We've got your back." Carlos added. "And the police will catch this guy."

"The police have no leads." Logan reminded him.

"We have a possible suspect." Detective Morris told them, rounding the corner. "We've even managed to collect some evidence from the park. I think we may catch this guy yet."

Logan stared at the detective, his hopes rising. "You have a possible suspect? Who?"

"Not getting into that just yet. Not until we have more evidence to arrest him. But we should be able to get him soon."

Logan smiled, a sudden weight lifting off of his shoulders. If they could just stay put until this guy was caught…which would hopefully be soon…this would all be over. Camille would be safe. And he wouldn't find himself in a freaky special room, screaming his head off. That would be good.

"Uh, I need to survey the scene and I'd like to talk to Camille, if that's okay." Morris said, watching the group. Logan cringed. James immediately tensed up and Carlos looked uncertain.

"I'll take you to the scene of the crime." James volunteered. "I was here when Camille found it. If it's all the same to you, how about you talk to me and we leave Camille out of this. She's not much for talking right now."

Morris nodded. "That will work. I don't want to cause her any more grief, if I can avoid it. You kids have been through a lot as it is."

"Come on then." James said, opening the door. "I put the remains in a box, so Camille doesn't have to do it. We found pretty much everything…except the tail." He continued to talk to the Detective as he led him to the back of the apartment, to the bedroom.

Kendall looked at Logan closely, trying to judge his state of mind. "So…you feeling better now?"

"I think so." Logan nodded. "Sorry for the freak out earlier."

"You're entitled." Kendall offered. "This whole situation has gotten pretty terrifying. I can't imagine being in your shoes right now."

"We really aren't happy that you went into the park alone." Carlos told him, his face serious. "We thought we could trust you to keep us with you."

Logan sighed. "I'm not really in the mood for a lecture right now, guys. I realize it was a bad move, but at the time, I thought it was my only option to keep Camille safe. You'd have done the same if it was you."

Kendall and Carlos nodded in agreement. "We would." Kendall agreed. "If it had been Jo, I would have done the exact same thing."

"So no more lectures?"

"No more." Carlos consented. "But please don't go running off alone again. Even if they have a suspect, you are still in danger until that guy is arrested and behind bars."

Logan sighed. "I've got to go in and talk to Camille."

"Yeah, you do." Kendall said. "She needs you right now."

"Okay, then, wish me luck." Logan closed his eyes, steadying himself. He wasn't good with grief. He didn't know how to help her. He just knew he wanted to be the one to comfort her. He opened the door and walked purposefully towards Camille, who was still sitting in the corner, hugging her knees. She didn't even look up as he approached…she just continued to stare down at the floor. Jo looked up at him, a helpless look on her face. She moved away silently as he took her spot, kneeling down next to the distraught girl.

"Camille?" Logan said quietly, putting his face next to hers. "Are you okay? Please talk to me, Cam."

Her head lifted, her red eyes seeking his comforting gaze. "She's dead, Logan." It was said so quietly that Logan wasn't even sure she'd spoken. But he knew what she'd said.

He nodded, his eyes tearing up.

"I left her here alone and that….that…he butchered her." Tears ran down her face as she flung herself forward, into his outstretched arms. Her face buried in his shoulder, she continued to sob. "She didn't deserve that! How could someone do that to her?"

Logan held her, gently rubbing her back while their friends excused themselves quietly, exiting the apartment with the detective in tow, to give them some space. Logan was grateful for the brief reprieve from their constant attention and worry, even though he knew they would stand vigil outside the door to protect the occupants inside. Logan was grateful for that as well. He buried his head in her soft hair, inhaling the scent he'd missed so much since they decided to enter the 'Friend Zone."

Honey and Lavender. A scent that was pure Camille. It was a scent that he'd loved when they'd dated and he found he still loved it, his mind linking it to happier days spent with his first true love. She continued to cry into his shoulder, soaking his t-shirt as her sobs became more forceful, more violent. Logan held her even tighter, giving her what strength he could just by being there for her.

"We're in this together, Cam." He whispered in her ear, stroking her hair. "You're not alone. I'm sorry he got so close, but he will never ever get close to you again." He leaned away, taking hold of her chin so that her eyes rose to meet his. "You understand me? He'll never touch you. You have my word."

Camille sniffled, caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze. She'd never known him to be so sure of himself or so forceful. Logan looked ready to take on the world, one psychopath at a time. Despite the agonizing pain in her heart, Camille found herself irrepressibly drawn to the sheer power radiating from the man holding her. She gazed up into his eyes, momentarily lost in the depth of his gaze, while he looked back, desire and need so clearly evident on his face that it momentarily stole her breath.

Without thinking, Camille raised her head up to meet his, their lips meeting in a sudden storm of passion as Logan growled deep in his throat, his hands roaming freely over her back. He pulled her in close, deepening the kiss, leaving Camille dazed and lightheaded. Her own hands wandered over his body of their own free will, and Camille savored the feel of his muscled arms and chest before she moved her hands around to his back to run her fingers through his hair.

Logan suddenly lowered his head to kiss at the nape of her neck and Camille sighed loudly, loving the intense feelings his kisses were generating. She'd always loved when he'd done that and he obviously hadn't forgotten. She continued to run her hands over his body, pulling up his t-shirt to give herself better access to his warm skin. She finally got fed up with the garment and pulled it up over his head, removing it completely, taking a minute to gawk at the lean, muscled form . He'd been working out when they'd dated, but it was obvious he'd stepped it up since then. Desire fogged her mind as she continued to stare, unable to tear her eyes away. He'd obviously been out in the sun recently too, if his thorough suntan was any indication. Through the fog in her brain, Camille mentally vowed to pay more attention to him when she saw him at the pool. How could she have missed this body?

His teeth moved to her earlobe and all thought left Camille's brain as she moaned into his shoulder, her hand gripping at his hair. Her body felt uncomfortably warm as his hands continued to roam, getting more daring by the second. A hand suddenly moved up under her shirt to skirt the outside of her bra, rubbing over her hardened nipple, causing her breath to hitch in her throat.

This was new. They'd never done this before. Camille decided in that instant that she liked it. Logan ceased his torturing of her earlobe momentarily to lift her shirt up over her head, Camille offering no resistance. His eyes continued to bore into hers as he gently lowered her down to the soft carpet, leaning over her. When the infuriating clothing was removed, Logan took a moment to stare in wonder at the creature breathing deeply under him. She was exquisite. Absolutely perfect. He'd never seen anything more perfect than what he was looking at right now. He felt as if he could stare at her for the rest of his life and never grow tired of her beauty.

Suddenly frustrated beyond belief by the passion building up inside him, Logan assaulted her lips once more, groaning into her mouth as she gently raised her hips to rub into him. She seemed as restless as he was, moving beneath him with increasing urgency as she kissed him back with a passionate enthusiasm that was making it hard for him to think as every ounce of available blood rushed from his head, to take up residence in another part of his body.

Logan visibly shuddered. "You feel so good against me." He whispered, his voice gruff with emotion.

Camille thought it felt much better than good to her. It felt wonderful. She could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed intimately against her stomach as he leaned in to nuzzle the nipple that was protruding underneath her bra. Camille thought in that moment that she would explode, it felt so heavenly. Camille couldn't get enough of his touch.

Logan became even more demanding as Camille continued to stroke his shoulders and back, arching into him. "God, Camille," he groaned, "you are so beautiful."

She blushed with pleasure over his praise and she leaned up to kiss him where his pulse beat rapidly at the base of his neck. She bit gently on the spot, earning a gasp from Logan before he returned the favor in kind, biting the lobe of her right ear. His hand moved up to cup her breast as his thumb lazily rubbed her already aching nipple. Camille strained into him, trying to get him to touch her more…to touch her harder. His other hand went lower, hovering at the waistband of her jeans, filling her with such anticipation that she almost couldn't stand it. He paused, overcome with indecision, before she instinctively raised her hips to meet him. Growling with a sudden need he couldn't contain, Logan kissed Camille hard while his hand sank underneath her tight pants, finally finding the spot she was craving for him to touch.

"Hmmmm." She moaned as his hand began to explore, finding its way underneath the flimsy panties she was wearing. "God, Logan, that feels so good."

"Good.." Logan breathed, still exploring her mouth with his tongue. His thumb found the delicate nub hidden between the folds and Camille's reaction damn near snapped every ounce of his control. She thrust up into his hand, her breath escaping her in one loud gasp as he continued to rub. His control snapped even more when he felt her hand hesitantly roam down his side and cup him through his jeans.

"So hard." Camille whispered, both of her hands suddenly attacking the fly of his jeans with a fervor that left him completely breathless.

A fleeting moment of clarity assaulted his mind as he realized just what they were doing…and how far along they were in doing it. This wasn't something they had done before. And he suddenly wasn't sure he wanted their first time to be on the floor of her apartment, with his friends outside in the hall, and the gruesome scene just feet away in her bedroom.

"Camille," he began, his voice sounding strained as her hands finally found their mark. "We should stop." And then her soft palm wrapped around him and all logical thought left his mind at the wonderful sensations her velvety skin was producing, rubbing up and down around him.

Camille loved touching him. She couldn't get enough. She loved the sounds Logan was making as she deliberately moved her hand up and down in firm strokes, making him move restlessly above her. She loved the feeling of his weight on top of her as he toyed with her breasts and stroked the fire within her with his thumb. And when he plunged one finger into her depths, she thought she would come completely apart. She increased her own stroking as he increased his, an incredible bliss building within her and suddenly, it wasn't enough. She wanted more. She wanted to experience all of him, to be completely one with him.

She needed him, now.

"Logan, please." She whimpered, ceasing her ministrations on him. "Please, I need you right now."

Logan's heart almost broke at the desperate pleading in her voice and he suddenly knew he couldn't deny her, regardless of how irresponsible they were being right now. And damn it, he needed her so badly he thought he would explode. He was through with teasing, he wanted every bit of her. But he had to try to be reasonable one more time.

"We shouldn't do this." He said, mentally pleading with her to disagree. He wasn't sure he could stop now if his life depended on it.

Camille writhed beneath him, stroking him once more, making all doubts flee from his mind. "We're doing this." She demanded, her nails digging into his shoulders, demanding he comply. That was all the prompting he needed. He grabbed at the waist of her pants, ready to yank them off her body, when the sound of the door opening made them both freeze.

"Hey," James said, walking into the apartment. "Are you guys…uh…shit…geez…my bad, I didn't see anything!" James squeaked, shutting his eyes quickly and turning around, shutting the apartment door behind him.

"Oh geez." Logan groaned, burying his face into Camille's neck. The sudden intrusion had effectively killed the mood, making him able to think logically again. Camille blushed beneath him, her desire fading away.

"Shit." She agreed, her face red. "James just saw us."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this." Logan said, rising off of her to stare down into her eyes. "And I didn't even get to finish what I so desperately want to finish."

Camille gave him a droll smile. "James cock blocked you."

"So badly."

Sighing, Camille leaned up to brush his lips with hers in a gently kiss, completely devoid of the lust they'd both felt only moments before. Shifting against the uncomfortable ache in his groan, Logan reached down to make himself decent, sitting up to button his pants. Camille took a few seconds to put herself back together before sitting up to face him. She gently cupped his face in her hands and looked up into his eyes, her desire still evident on her face.

"It's for the best anyway." She whispered, leaning in for one last kiss.

"I know." Logan reluctantly agreed, though the tightness in his pants was arguing that logic fiercely. It took every ounce of control that he possessed not to throw her back to the ground so that they could finish what they started.

As if she could read his mind, Camille smiled and cupped him once more, rubbing gently. "Another time." She said softly while Logan closed his eyes, enjoying her touch. "I think I should go now."

"Or we could lock the door and you could stay." Logan breathed, his pulse rate increasing again as she continued to grope him.

Camille smiled, placing tiny kisses along his jaw line. "Or we could continue another time."

"Keep up what you're doing," Logan told her, "And I won't need to continue later."

Camille laughed. Reluctantly drawing away from him, she tried her best to ignore the pleading in his eyes as she stood up.

Logan fell to the floor and lied there, his arm up over his eyes as he struggled to control his breathing. Geez, but he wished James had stayed the hell out in the hallway for another twenty minutes. But deep down, he realized the interruption was for the best. This wasn't the time for…whatever…was going on between him and Camille. They were both under a lot of stress and the fresh grief of her murdered pet was compromising Camille's judgment. It would have been wrong to take advantage of her.

"Thank you, Logan" Camille said, looking down at him while he struggled to regain control of himself. "I needed that. Wish me luck, I'm going out into the hallway."

"Good luck." Logan told her, still lying prone on the floor. "Soften them up for me so I won't have to deal with them when I finally get up off this floor. I think you've killed me."

"Silly." Camille murmured, straightening her clothes and heading for the door. She gave him one last look and opened the door quickly, jumping out of the way when three bodies fell heavily to the floor, all of them muttering curses as they hit the ground.

"OH, Camille!" Kendall said, quickly standing up. "We were just…uh…we..uh…"

"We thought we saw a spider." James offered lamely. "We definitely weren't trying to listen through the door."

"There was a spider?" Carlos squeaked from the floor. "Why didn't you guys tell me? You know I hate spiders!"

"Carlos!" James shooshed.

Camille grinned evilly at the guys before sauntering past them. "Hope you got an eyeful, James." She murmured, laughing softly at the look of shock on the guys' faces as she left. "Later, Logan." She called over her shoulder, grabbing Jo's arm and ushering her bewildered friend down the hallway, away from her apartment.

"Camille! Did you two just do what I think you did?" Jo squealed as Camille pulled her down the hall.

Kendall watched the girls go, and then turned his attention to his blushing friend, still lying on the floor. "So, Logan, what's going on?"

"Not sure what you mean?" Logan said lamely, his arm still resting over his eyes, blocking out his intrusive friends.

"What I mean is, did you and Camille just do what we think you guys did while we were standing right outside in the hall?" Kendall asked pointedly.

"Yeah, give us the deets!" James said, grinning foolishly. "Come on, tell us all about it!"

"I'm not telling you anything about anything!" Logan responded, wishing they would leave.

"You have to!" Carlos reminded him. "It's a guy code. If a guy has intimate relations with a girl, he has to tell his friends every single detail!"

"Gross!" Logan said. "That is so not a guy code!"

"It is now!" James argued. "Tell us what happened in here!"

Logan sighed. They weren't going to let this go, he knew that. "Fine!" He said suddenly, sitting up and facing his friends. "Yeah, we almost…you know…and then James committed the biggest cock block of all time and interrupted us and now I'm extremely uncomfortable and don't have an ounce of blood left in my brain and if you'd only waited a few minutes, I'd be a lot happier right now!" He blurted out, earning him shocked looks from all his friends.

"Whoa." James said. "Sorry bro. Totally my bad."

"Nice going, James." Kendall laughed, earning him a glare from both James and Logan.

"Yeah, great job. Now just leave me alone and let me get some blood back to my brain so I can figure out what to do now." Logan begged, putting his arm back up over his eyes.

"I'm really sorry, dude." James apologized again, a stupid grin on his face. Logan had a hard time believing his apology while he wore that idiotic smile.

"Get bent." Logan retorted sullenly.

"So how close did you guys get?" Carlos wondered as Logan slowly stood up, sighing loudly.

"I'm not talking about it!" Logan said hotly.

"Okay," Carlos put his hands up in the air, "Just asking."

"From what I saw, I'd say they were pretty dang close." James informed his friend helpfully.

Logan gaped at the taller boy. "James! You said you didn't see anything!"

"Yeah, well…kind of hard to miss, Logan. You guys were mauling each other right in front of me."

"We weren't mauling each other."

"Looked like it from where I was standing." James laughed.

"Seriously, Logan." Kendall told him. "What were you thinking? We were right outside in the hall."

"I wasn't thinking!" Logan told them. "And I was fine with not thinking! Believe me! I wish I wasn't thinking right now!"

James hung his head. "Sorry."

Logan sighed. "No, I'm sorry. You're right, it was a bad idea. A really awesome, but bad idea. We've just been under a lot of stress lately and I think it got the best of us."

"Looks like you also tore your stitches a little." Carlos observed, pointing out the small red stain on his t-shirt. Logan looked down and cursed.

"Damn it." He pulled back his sleeve and surveyed the damage. "Doesn't look too bad. Totally worth it."

"Yeah it was!" James grinned. "I'm really really sorry, Logan."

The man stared at the computer screen, hungrily eyeing the live feed to the girl's apartment. He wished he had sound, but for now he would have to settle for the steamy visual that flashed over his screen. He'd groaned loudly when the boy's idiotic friend had interrupted the pair, ending any chance at things escalating further.

Shit.

Thank god for rewind. He quickly freed himself from his pants, wrapping his hand around his hardening shaft as he watched the girl do the same thing to the boy, pretending it was him she was stroking.

Yeesssssssss….He moaned to himself, increasing his strokes as the boy's hand searched out the girl's hot center, his lips brushing hungrily over her lace covered breast. The look on the girl's face proved too much for the man as he stroked harder, almost too hard, making himself come quickly into his hand.

He loved the look on the boy's face as the girl slowly continued to stroke him through his pants, preparing to leave. The unveiled look of pained anguish was the perfect ending to their impromptu coupling.

He hit rewind again, going back to the moment when they'd first started kissing, gripping his now limp member once more. Breathing deeply, he stroked softly, willing himself to come alive again as the pace on the screen picked back up, the girl's hands roaming near the boy's groin once more.

This was better than any porn the man had ever watched. The two objects of his increasing desire, going at it on the floor where he'd stalked around just hours before. It was too much for him. His breathing grew more ragged as the video continued, the boy's hands once again finding her wet scorching heat, making her eyes glaze over as she arched up into his touch. So perfect…the boy was so fucking perfect.

Closing his eyes, the man this time envisioned the boy's hand wrapped around his throbbing shaft, stroking hard, making him come once more in his hand.

So perfect. So fucking perfect.

With his leanly muscled shoulders and chest to the incredible face he made when the girl stroked him, the man couldn't get enough.

It was fucking beautiful.

He wanted nothing more than to tame that boy and make him his. He'd beg for mercy in the special room…he'd beg the man for the release that the girl had failed to give him.

Damn it, it was time to end this game.

The voices, momentarily sated by the sexual release, lazily agreed with the man's assessment. It was time to end the game.

Watching the boy engage in sexual play with the girl had only increased the man's desire for him. He had to have him…now. It couldn't wait.

No more playing. No more notes, no more stalking.

He picked up his phone, putting his final plan into motion.

He smiled and hit rewind one more time, lazily stroking himself. The boy would be his soon.

"Hey, it's me." He said into the phone, pleased to keep the strain out of his voice as he continued to stare at the actions on the screen. The boy's hand reached for the girl's breast again. He loved that part. He kept his eyes on the girl as she moaned into the boy's neck, biting playfully. His cocked jerked in his hand. What he wouldn't give to bite the boy's neck, just like that.

"It's time. Bring him in."

Detective Morris strolled purposefully towards Logan, a determined smile on his face. "We have him!" He said happily, reaching the group.

"What?" Kendall said, disbelief evident in his voice.

"We have the guy. Simmons just called me."

"You have the guy. Just like that. You know it's him?" Logan said rapidly, not daring to hope.

"We have evidence in our possession that leads us to suspect he's our man. Simmons has arrested him and we need you to come down to the station to identify him."

"Identify him?" Logan said. "I didn't see the guy. He was wearing a mask."

Morris shrugged. "We still need you to go down there. I can take you myself, if you're ready."

"We'll come too." James said.

Morris frowned. "That's not really necessary. Logan can do this alone. Right, Logan?"

Kendall's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure he can, Detective, but we're coming with him anyway."

"Fine, whatever." Morris said. "If you want to come, that's fine. Logan can ride with me and you guys can follow behind."

Logan backed away from the detective, suddenly uncomfortable. "If it's all the same, Detective, I think I'll ride to the station with my friends. We can meet you there in half an hour."

Morris smirked. "Suite yourself, Logan. I'll meet you guys there then. Don't take too long...we want to get this guy identified so we can charge him and keep him locked up. We wouldn't want anything else to happen to you, would we Logan?"

"No." Kendall agreed. "We would not. Come on guys, let's hit the crib and then we can get to the station." He grabbed Logan and led him away, eyeing the older man suspiciously as they walked away.

Was it just him, or had that conversation gotten seriously creepy?

Suspect in custody or not, Kendall decided to keep a close eye on Logan. He would feel better when the guy was behind bars permanently.

Detective Morris watched the group disappear before pulling out his phone to call his partner. "The boys are on their way to the station to identify the perp. They should be there within the hour. No, he's riding with his friends. See you there." Snapping his phone shut, he scowled. Something wasn't right about this whole situation. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Soooo…..I know this chapter wasn't scary but they can't all be scary ;) I really hope you guys liked the scenes between Logan and Camille…LOL! Will be updating soon! Please remember to Review! I really love Reviews!**

***Chapter 8*: Chapter 8**

**A/N: Thanks again for the great positive reviews. I'm having so much fun writing this story. It's out of my comfort zone and I'm having a hard time with parts of it, but that's what makes it fun.**

**And oh yeah, I don't own Big Time Rush.**

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"I'm telling you, I didn't murder anyone!" The dark haired guy in his early thirties yelled at Detective Morris, who was questioning him in the interrogation room. Logan stood next to his friends, watching through the observation window in silence.

"Do you know these two people?" Detective Morris asked, placing two pictures on the table in front of the man. A picture of Logan and a picture of Camille. The guy glanced down at them and frowned.

"Isn't that one of those kids from that boy band? Big Time something…performed at the club last week. Why would I know him? And the girl…she's a looker, sure, but I don't know her."

"So you're telling me you didn't haven't been stalking them and sending them threatening letters this past week?" Morris asked the confused man.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" The guy pounded his hand on the table for emphasis. "I don't know who or what you think I am, but I did not kill some girl and I'm definitely not stalking some boy band singer and his girlfriend."

"Really? Well, that's interesting because we found some things in your car, Mr. Brown." Detective Morris reached into a box near his feet, pulling out the contents one by one. "This is a knife that was used in an assault on this gentleman in the picture. He was stabbed once in the shoulder with it. This is the mask warn by the attacker. And this is a recording device programmed with screams…a recording of this girl, used to lure the boy into a trap."

The man paled as sweat instantly began to bead on his forehead. He swallowed loudly. "I've never seen those things before in my life. I swear it!"

"Then how exactly did these items end up in the trunk of your car?"

"My car was stolen last night! I told you guys that! When I got robbed after work, the creep stole my car keys too!"

"Yes, let's talk about that." Morris said. "You have quite a few injuries to your face and I'd be very interested to know how you got them."

Logan looked at the guy, noticing the black eye and the large bruise on his cheek. Injuries that would coincide with the damage Logan would have inflicted on his attacker the night before. He shuddered.

"The person who robbed me yesterday beat the crap out of me!" The guy shouted. "I told you guys that! Why aren't you looking for the asshole that jumped me? He's probably your guy!"

"Who is this guy?" Logan wondered out loud. "I've never seen him before."

"Terrance Brown. He's the bartender at the club where the girl was murdered last week…the same club that you guys performed in." Detective Simmons said, suddenly appearing behind the group. Logan jumped slightly, still on edge, before he turned to greet the detective.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" He asked the older man, taken aback by the amount of damage to his face. It looked like someone had beaten him up very recently. Detective Simmons shrugged.

"Drug bust gone wrong. Perp got the jump on me and got in some lucky shots." He grinned. "You should see what I did to that guy!"

"If it's worse than what he did to you, then I'd rather not." Logan joked.

Simmons' face darkened slightly as he frowned. "Seems like last night was the night for fights. Morris said you got into quite an altercation yourself. Good job kicking the creep's ass."

Logan shrugged self-consciously. "I wouldn't say I kicked his ass. Just got in some lucky shots of my own."

Detective Simmons glanced into the interrogation room, taking in the appearance of the guy at the table. "Looks like more than a few lucky shots."

"So you definitely think that's the guy?" Kendall asked the detective.

"I'm one hundred percent positive that's our guy." Simmons said. "We found the knife, ski mask and recorder in the trunk of his car. He has injuries matching the injuries Logan's attacker would have sustained last night in the park. He had the picture of Logan with the dead girl in his locker at the club. He was working the night Camille was drugged and the girl was murdered. All I need now is a few fingerprints, some of Logan's blood to positively ID the knife, and Logan's ID of the guy."

Logan shook his head. "I didn't see his face." He told the detective. "He was wearing a mask." He looked at the guy closely. "I guess he has the right build."

"He has a common build though." James pointed out. "Detective Simmons here has the same build as that guy in there."

"His voice sounds different, but I think he was altering it somehow." Logan continued. "And wait…what? You need my blood?"

"To compare it to the sample taken from the knife. If the blood matches, we can place the knife at the scene of the attack and place Mr. Brown there as well."

"Oh." Logan said. "I guess that makes sense."

"When this is over, I'll take you to the hospital to have a sample drawn." Simmons told him.

"Today? Yeah, I can't do that." Logan said. "I have to work at the studio today. In fact, we are supposed to be there now."

Simmons frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This is important, Logan. We need to keep this guy in our custody. It's only a small sample of blood. It won't take long."

"Can't you just get my file from the hospital and compare their samples to the sample on the knife?" Logan asked, confused. "I was just there last night. I'm sure they have all of that information in my file."

"Yeah, we totally saw that on CSI." Carlos added. "Do you really need a fresh sample?"

"That sounds kind of weird." Kendall agreed. "Especially if the hospital already has his info on file."

"So now you kids are police officers, is that it?" Simmons barked, his voice angry. "You've gone from singers to investigative detectives, just like that. I suppose you'd like to finish the rest of this investigation by yourselves?"

Logan's eyes widened by the sudden display of anger and he took a small step back. "That's not what we meant."

Detective Simmons shook his head, suddenly flashing a large smile. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you kids. This has been a long investigation and I'm feeling the pressure, that's all. I need a break. In fact, as soon as we finish with this guy, I'm going on a long vacation."

"But what I don't get is this…that guy eluded you for a whole year, never leaving any evidence behind. Now suddenly you've found tons of evidence in his locker at work and in the trunk of his car and just like that, he's screwed up and got caught?" Kendall asked, shaking his head. "Does that seem almost too easy to anyone else here?"

"Criminals get too comfortable and screw up all the time." Detective Simmons told him. "It always happens sooner or later. They get cocky…they go too far and they get caught. I guess his obsession with your friends got the best of him."

"But he doesn't even seem to know us." Logan said quietly.

"He's a good liar, but we'll get him to confess." Simmons told him.

"Like Kendall said, it seems too easy. He doesn't strike me as the type of guy who would keep the evidence in his trunk like that."

"Logan, you've dealt this pervert for a week. I've been chasing him for a year now. A year of my life has been spent searching for this guy. Believe me when I tell you, this is the guy. We have him. You and Camille are safe. He'll be put away for the rest of his life and never bother you kids again."

Logan nodded. "I guess. Something just seems off though."

"You're just relieved, buddy." James told him, ruffling his hair.

"That could be it." Logan conceded. "We have been feeling some stress these past couple of days. I guess it will take a while to get back to normal."

Detective Morris suddenly stood up from the table and shook his head. "You're lying, Terrance. We have all the evidence we need to convict you. Just confess to the murder and the other attacks and things will go easier for you."

Terrance shook his head, his face paling. "I didn't attack anyone. I didn't kill anyone! Why won't anyone believe me? I left work last night and I was jumped before I reached my car. Some guy beat me up and stole my car! That's what happened! I swear it!" He put his head down in his hands and began sobbing. "I didn't do this. Please believe me."

Morris sighed and turned to leave, walking out of the room to join the group on the other side. "He says he didn't do it, but we'll get him to confess soon enough. With all the evidence against him, it's only a matter of time before he cracks."

Simmons reached for a box on his desk, passing it along to Morris. "Here, show him this. His roommate found it in his bedroom this morning."

"What is it?" Morris asked.

"You'll see. Something that will definitely tie him to the incident in Camille's apartment." Simmons told him.

"Okay…" Morris took the box and headed back into the interrogation room. Terrance looked up, his face streaked with tears. "We have one more piece of evidence to show you, Terrance." Morris told him. "Something that was found in your bedroom and ties you to the scene of a crime committed last night." Morris opened the box and visibly grimaced. "Does this look familiar?" He asked, reaching into the box and throwing the one item it contained onto the table in front of Terrance.

"What is that?" Terrance asked, looking at the item in confusion. "Seriously, what is…oh hell! Is that what I think it is? That's sick, oh my god!" He turned green, his hand going up over his mouth.. "I'm going to be sick!"

"Nice performance, considering you did this." Morris said, showing the man no sympathy. "We know it was you, Terrance. Do yourself a favor and confess."

Logan peered into the room, grimacing. "Okay, that is just disturbing."

James leaned in closer to Kendall. "At least we know what happened to the tail now." He whispered, as Kendall winced.

"That is one sick guy. How can he cut the tail off a cat and then pretend that seeing the tail bothers him. That makes no sense."

"Look! He just threw up on the table." Carlos told them, pointing into the room. Detective Morris shoved the tail back into the box, gave Terrance a disgusted look and left the room. Terrance wiped his mouth with his sleeve, watching the detective go.

"I didn't do that!" He shouted at the retreating officer. "That's sick, dude! No way I did that!"

"You could have warned me." Morris said to Simmons, handing him the box. "That was not what I expected to see when I opened the box."

"I was going to shock value." Simmons told him, smiling. "Did you see his face? What a performer."

"You still think he's our guy?"

"I'm positive he's our guy. He had the knife, the mask, the recorder and the freakin cat tail. How can this not be our guy?" Simmons said.

"He seemed pretty freaked out when he saw the cat tail. This doesn't seem like the type of guy who could rape and kill. Not to mention gut a cat." Morris said, uncertainty showing on his face. "He threw up on my table, for Christ's sake!"

"So he's a good actor. That guy is one fucked up crazy perv. I know it's him, Morris. We got our guy."

Morris looked back into the room, where Terrance had his head down on the table. "I'm taking him back to his cell. I don't need him chunking all over the room."

"No." Simmons said sharply. "I'll take him."

Morris shrugged. "Fine."

Simmons opened the door to the interrogation room, wincing slightly at the pungent smell permeating the small room. Terrance looked up, his face a sick shade of green. "Come on, slime ball, let's go back to your cell."

Terrance hung his head in defeat. "I'm telling you guys, I didn't murder anyone. I'm being framed. I was jumped last night when I was leaving work and that guy stole my keys. I'm telling the truth."

"Was anyone with you at the club?" Simmons asked him.

Terrance shook his head. "No, I closed up alone. Everyone else was gone."

"How unfortunate for you."

"But…like, I totally remember something about the guy." Terrance said suddenly, lifting his head to stare up at Simmons.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Terrance said, suddenly confident. "He had a small tattoo…on his wrist. Right here." He said, pointing to a spot on his own wrist, just above his hand. "Yeah, it was….uh…something like a dragon or something."

"A tattoo. Of a dragon. Sure, we'll take that into consideration." Simmons said, grabbing ahold of Terrance and hauling him to his feet. "Back to your cell, pervert."

"But you'll look for the guy with the dragon tattoo?" Terrance asked as he was hauled out of the room.

"Yeah, sure pervert. Get in your cell!" Simmons pushed Terrance into the cell, slamming the door shut behind him. "When you're ready to confess, let me know." He frowned at Terrance, who was staring wide eyed at his hand. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"You. It was you last night." Terrance whispered, backing away from the cell door.

Simmons' eyes darted up and down the empty hallway, the returned to Terrance. "I don't know what you mean."

"You have the tattoo that I saw last night on your wrist." Terrance was backing away from the bars, his eyes wide. "That's the same tattoo."

"I think you're wrong." Simmons said slowly, moving to open the door to the cell. Terrance backed away even further, his head darting around, searching for help.

"What are you doing? Help! Help me!" Terrance yelled, his face white. "Someone help me!"

"Hmmmm….I don't think anyone can hear you, Terrance." Simmons said, smiling evilly. "What a shame."

"Stay away from me!" Terrance screamed. "I won't say anything! I swear!'

"No, you won't." Simmons sneered. "You won't be saying anything." He took off his belt as he stalked toward the other man.

"What are you doing?"

"You were guilty. You couldn't stand the thought of going to prison for the rest of your life." Simmons explained, holding the belt in both hands. "It happens all the time. You decided to take your own life, to avoid a life in prison."

"Take my own…what are you talking about? Help! Someone please! He's crazy! He's going to kill me!" Terrance backed up into the wall, trapped. Simmons stopped in front of him, sneering.

"Pity the cameras back here are broken. Repairman won't be here to fix them until tomorrow."

"Oh god! Please, dude!"

"Goodbye Terrance." Simmons said, punching the other man in the face. Terrance fell to the ground, dazed. Simmons leaned down over him, wrapping the belt tightly around the struggling man's neck.

"So we're going to forget about the whole needing my blood thing, right?" Logan said to Morris as the group headed for the exit. "I mean, you've got the guy, right? And the hospital has my blood samples on file."

"Blood sample?" Detective Morris asked, confused. "Why would we need a blood sample?"

Logan frowned. "Detective Simmons said…well, it doesn't matter. As long as you don't need it."

"Don't worry, Logan. We'll get Terrance to confess and then you won't have to worry about him ever again."

"Code Red!" An officer yelled into his radio, running towards the back of the station. "We need an ambulance here now!"

"Uh, what's going on?" James asked, watching the officers sprint off, towards the holding cells.

"I don't know." Morris said. "You kids stay here. I'll be right back." He ran off, leaving them behind.

"Weird." Logan said, checking his watch. "We've got to get to the studio before Gustavo has a coronary. Should we go?"

"What do you think is happening back there?" Carlos wondered, staring at the back of the station, where every available officer had disappeared.

"So not our problem." James told him. "But Gustavo will be our problem if we don't get to the studio."

Kendall frowned. "Morris is coming back. Uh, he doesn't look happy."

"Well, who was the idiot that let him keep his belt?" Morris shouted at the officers that surrounded him.

"He wasn't actually booked in yet." A younger man was saying nervously. "Simmons wanted to question him first."

"Fat lot of good that does us now!" Morris continued to yell. "We didn't even get a confession out of him!"

"I'd say he's confessed through his actions, wouldn't you Morris?" Detective Simmons said smugly, joining the group. "One less dirt bag on the earth…not a real loss."

"Uh, what's going on?" Logan asked, confused.

"What's going on is that you and your friend are safe, Mr. Mitchell." Detective Simmons told him. "Terrance Brown just committed suicide in his cell. He won't hurt anyone ever again."

Logan's jaw dropped. "He just…I'm sorry, did you just say suicide?"

"Bastard hung himself with his own belt." Simmons told them. "If that doesn't tell you he's guilty, I don't know what does."

"He didn't confess." Morris reminded him.

Simmons smirked at him. "The evidence against him was staggering. There was no way he was getting away. Of course he was guilty. So he chose to hang himself instead of go to prison."

"Can't say we're sad." Kendall said. "That guy was a freak and good riddance."

"A guy just killed himself." Carlos reminded them, shuddering slightly.

"Yeah, a guy who almost killed our friend." James argued. "I, for one, am glad this is over."

Logan stood quietly off to the side. "It's over." He whispered.

"I'd say you should be one happy young man." Simmons told him. "No long legal process…no drawn out trial. Your ordeal is over, Mr. Mitchell."

Logan smiled. "It's really over."

"We'll still need a statement from you, Mr. Mitchell." Detective Morris reminded him. "Just a formality. I'm sure the Prosecutor will close this case, in light of Mr. Brown's suicide. We'll be in contact soon, to finish up the paperwork."

"Of course."

"Why so glum?" Detective Simmons asked. "Go! Get your girlfriend and go out to celebrate. There's nothing left to do here."

Logan smiled slightly. "That is actually a good idea." He agreed. "I think I will celebrate."

"You don't' think this is all wrapping up too easily?" Kendall asked, still doubtful. "Seems too easy to me."

"Suicides happen all the time." Morris told him. "A lot of these crazies would rather off themselves than go to prison. It's not uncommon. Makes our job easier."

"Alright then. Well, thank you both for all of your help." Logan said, reaching out to shake Morris's hand. He extended his hand to Simmons as well, shaking the other man's hand. "Hey, that's a pretty cool tattoo you've got there." He said, noticing the dragon tattoo for the first time.

"Thanks." Simmons said. "Got it in the service. You kids take care. I'm going to finish up the paperwork on this case and take a much needed vacation. I've been chasing that guy for a year. I think it's time for a break."

"Yeah." Logan agreed. "We could all use a break. I'm just glad this is over."

Detective Simmons watched the group leave, congratulating the boy as they exited the station. He frowned slightly as the voices argued, some telling him to go after the boy…the others telling him to be patient. They were still high from killing the sniveling bartender just moments before. They wanted more.

Soon. Simmons told them. They would have the boy soon.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So…did you see that one coming? One of you did (good job!) As always, please review.**

***Chapter 9*: Chapter 9**

**A/N: Who would have thought that the chapter I knew I would write from the moment I began this story would be the absolute hardest to write? Even after I've had it in my mind for weeks and weeks? I know this chap is a bit long, but I made you wait, so I'm letting you read it all at once ;) Enjoy**!

**Oh yeah, I don't own Big Time Rush. I don't own a turtle either. Just thought I'd throw that in.**

**CHAPTER NINE**

As completely morbid as it sounded to him, Logan had t admit that this day had turned out pretty good.

So yeah, some freaky creep had offed himself…that was gross. And Camille's cat was still dead. And there was the whole discussion he had to have with Camille regarding that they had almost done earlier in the day.

And Gustavo had still yelled at him during rehearsal.

But all in all, great day.

He was sitting by the pool with the guys, eyes closed, arms resting behind his back, finally able to relax for the first time in a week. No more apartment lockdown. No more wondering if some pervert was watching him…or watching Camille.

A huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He sighed happily, truly enjoying the feel of the warm sun on his skin.

Camille watched Logan from the cabana across the pool. He looked so happy… and damn sexy…lounging lazily on the pool chair. His torso exposed, he glistened with a light sheen of sweat as he sighed deeply, his chest rising. Camille thought he'd never looked better. She found she couldn't take her eyes off of him. The memory of what had happened and almost happened between them earlier made her cheeks flush.

"Stop devouring him with your eyes." Jo chided jokingly, taking a sip of her smoothie. "The heat coming off you might make him catch on fire."

Camille blushed even more. She hadn't realized she was being quite so obvious. "I'm not devouring him." She muttered.

"Yet." Jo laughed. "You're not devouring him yet."

"He doesn't even like me that way." Camille mumbled, tearing her eyes away from the eye candy across the pool.

Jo choked on her smoothie. "He doesn't like you that way? Camille, are you being serious right now? He went out to meet a pyscho stalker…alone…because he thought you were in danger. And let's not even forget to mention whatever happened between the two of you in your apartment earlier." She raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Speaking of, I'm still waiting for the details on what did happen in your apartment with him."

"Not talking about it." Camille answered.

"You have to!" Jo argued. "It's in the girl code. If a girl has intimate relations with a boy, she has to tell her girlfriends all about it!"

Camille smirked. "You got that from Kendall and there is no such rule."

"Well, there should be!" Jo huffed.

"That's sick."

"No," Stephanie interrupted, joining the other girls. "What's sick is holding out on us when you almost got busy with that fine specimen over there. Boy, Logan sure looks hot right now."

Camille frowned at her friend, surprised by the instant wave of jealousy that washed over her. Stephanie noticed her look and laughed, obviously amused.

"I was kidding, Camille! I know Logan is all yours. Even if he does look hot right now."

"Kendall's looking pretty hot too." Jo observed, taking another sip of her drink. "Those hips of his drive me crazy."

Camille looked at her friend, suddenly remembering something from the night before. "Speaking of Kendall, why do you have his hockey stick in your bedroom, Jo?" She asked innocently, enjoying the immediate flush that covered Jo's cheeks.

"He, uh…well, you know…" Jo stammered.

"No, Jo." Camille interrupted, "We don't know."

"I have no idea what you're trying to say." Stephanie laughed evilly.

Jo sighed loudly. "Kendall likes to play hockey player and goalie." She flushed even more brightly, clearing mortified to have told them that Camille and Stephanie just stared at her in shock, and then burst into laughter, drawing the attention of the boys across the pool.

"What do you think is so funny?" Kendall asked, peering over at the giggling girls. "And why are they staring at us?"

"Staring at you, you mean?" Carlos said, raising an eyebrow. "And pointing. Kendall, they are pointing at you."

"That can't be good." Logan observed, opening one eye to glance over at the girls. "What is Camille doing with her hands?"

"Looks like she's playing hockey." James began, frowning. "That's weird."

"Hockey?" Kendall suddenly sat up in his chair, his face turning red. "Camille stayed over at Jo's."

James looked at him, confused. "Yes, we already know that." Sudden realization made him smile. "Oh, Jo told them about your hockey role playing thing!"

"Your….wait, what" Logan laughed. "Hockey role playing thing?"

"That's private information and not for you to know!" Kendall said, stalking over to Jo. "Private information Jo!" He yelled at his laughing girlfriend.

Jo screeched and ran off as Kendall took off after her.

"And that's why I don't tell you guys anything." Logan said, closing his eyes again.

James laughed. "We'll find out what happened earlier, bro. We've got someone on the inside."

"Camille won't tell Jo either." Logan said, his eyes still closed.

"Dang it!" James shouted. "Why won't you just tell us!"

"You already saw everything." Logan reminded him. "Just use your imagination."

"I've already tried that! I need the details."

Logan chuckled softly. "That's just gross."

"Hey, Camille is staring at you again." Carlos interrupted, causing Logan to open an eye.

"Ogling you would be more like it." James observed wryly. "Why don't you just go over there and ask her out."

Logan sighed. "I will. I am. I just need to work up the nerve to do it."

"Work up the nerve? You two almost...you know…I think you can ask her for a date." Said James.

"It's not that easy." Logan told him. "We're on again and off again and then we had the whole incident in her apartment and now I'm not sure where we stand and I have to talk to her but I don't want to talk to her about it if she doesn't want to talk to me and I don't know what to do. I'm freaking out!"

James raised an eyebrow. "That was a whole lot of words strung together, Loges. I think you need to relax and just ask her out. Trust me."

Carlos was nodding. "Seriously. Just ask her out. I know she'll say yes."

Logan sighed again, running his hand through his hair. He could just go ask her out. It was simple. He owed her a talk anyway. "Fine. I'll ask her out."

"Now. Ask her out now." James told him, eyeing him meaningfully.

"You are a nag." Logan muttered, standing up. He absently reached for his discarded shirt, only to find it missing.

"Leave the shirt off." James whispered. "Chicks go for that."

"But I'll be cold." Logan whined, resisting the urge to cover himself. He wasn't exactly comfortable parading around half naked.

"Trust me. And you're not getting the shirt back"

Logan rolled his eyes. "You're an ass."

"An ass who knows what he's talking about."

"Still an ass." He took a deep breath and walked around the pool, heading towards Camille. His eyes locked with hers as he approached, his nerves building with each step.

Camille watched Logan's slow progress around the pool, her eyes narrowing as female heads turned to follow him, greedily eyeing him like a sexy piece of meat. She almost wished he'd put his shirt on, to hide his incredible upper body. Watching the other girls ogle him only made her insanely jealous. Logan seemed oblivious of the attention he was getting as he nervously walked up to her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey Camille." He said awkwardly, smiling at Stephanie. "Hi Stephanie."

"Logan." Stephanie smiled back. "I'll leave you two alone. I'm going to say hi to Carlos." Logan watched her leave before turning back to Camille.

"Crazy week, huh." He began, instantly feeling like an idiot.

"Not one of our better weeks." Camille agreed.

"So, uh, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Logan stammered, his heart hammering in his chest.

Camille graced him with a bright smile. "I'd love to."

Logan smiled back. "Really? I mean great. That sounds great. I'll pick you up at your apartment at 6pm?"

Camille shook her head. "I'm still staying with Jo…I'm not quite ready to go back to my own apartment yet."

Logan mentally kicked himself, unable to believe he could be so stupid. "Of course. I'm an idiot. I'll pick you up at Jo's?"

"Sounds perfect." Camille told him.

"Great. Ok, I'll catch you later." He turned around to head back to his seat at the other end of the pool.

"Hey Logan?"

He turned back around.

"Do you have to look so dang sexy?"

He instantly flashed his cocky smile. "I don't have to." He winked as he walked away.

"That boy is going to be the end of me." Camille muttered happily to herself before shooting glares at the girls around the pool. They caught her look and quickly turned away, diverting their eyes from the retreating Logan. Camille smiled smugly. No one messed with her Logan.

Detective Morris sat at his desk, pouring over the evidence from the stalker case. He studied the autopsy photo on top, showing a close up shot of Terrance's black and blue neck. Something about it was bothering him. Something wasn't adding up. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Simmons had left earlier that day, spouting off about his much needed vacation.

He was off the grid. He'd made sure everyone at the station knew that. He wasn't even taking his phone with him. Morris couldn't blame him. The last year at been grueling for both of them. Every time they'd found a lead or a piece of evidence, something had happened to discredit it.

Fingerprints failed to transfer to evidence tape.

Security tapes mysteriously erased.

Samples sent to the lab were misplaced or came back inconclusive.

Morris had begun to think that the case was cursed. He'd never had such bad luck with a case before.

It had been a year of hell.

And with each new victim, he felt even more like a failure. The last victim…the first murder victim…had been particularly hard on him. He'd actually thought they might be able to find the guy using evidence collected from the murdered girl, only to have it come back from the lab inconclusive. Again. They'd been unable to match it to any DNA sample on file.

Morris squinted at the photo again, flipping on his desk lamp as day turned to night outside his window. He'd been staring at these photos all afternoon, trying to figure out what was bothering him.

He wished he could be like Simmons. Simply accept the suicide, wrap the case up and get on with his life. But he couldn't. The case couldn't end that easily. Not after the year of hell. Something wasn't adding up.

He reached for Terrence's belt, his fingers tracing the elaborate buckle. It was a bit gaudy, in Morris' opinion. The large buckle depicted a bulldog, growling menacingly. Morris idly wondered if the bulldog had any meaning to the deceased bartender. If anything, it must have cut into his skin brutally when he'd hung himself.

Morris jerked his eyes to the picture.

The bulldog belt buckle would have left quite the imprint in the bartender's neck. He took out his magnifying glass, squinting at the picture, alarmed by what he saw.

No bulldog imprint.

The mark left on the man's neck was obviously from a plain, undecorated, two prong belt buckle…not the ornate buckle on the belt Terrance had worn. Which meant Terrance hadn't strangled himself with his own belt, as Simmons had reported.

Which meant Terrance hadn't strangled himself at all. He wouldn't have had access to any other belt in his cell.

Morris cursed under his breath. Simmons had lied. The question was why. Why would his partner lie about how Terrance had died? And how had Terrance died if he hadn't strangled himself.

Morris stood up quickly, knocking the belt off his desk as adrenaline coursed through his body. There was only one reason Simmons would lie. He'd been the only one in the holding area with Terrance.

Morris couldn't believe what his mind was telling him.

If Terrance hadn't killed himself, then Simmons had killed him.

The question was why?

Morris knew Simmons had wanted the case to end….he had stopped at nothing to prove the bartender was their guy. Had he been so bent on ending the case that he'd taken justice into his own hands?

Whatever the reason was, it wasn't good. Simmons was obviously hiding something and if Terrance hadn't been the rapist, then the guy was still on the loose. Morris needed to figure out what was going on and fast. He grabbed the evidence on his desk, stuffing it into his bag as he grabbed his car keys. He needed to get to that club and see if he could find some surveillance footage from the night before.

Simmons had said there was none. Morris suddenly didn't believe him.

"Logan, are you sure you're ready to go out in public?" Kendall asked as Logan got ready for his date with Camille. Logan rolled his eyes. Leave it to Kendall to be the mother hen, even after the threat was gone.

"Kendall, the creep hung himself in his cell. You were there. The danger is over."

Kendall sighed. "I know everyone thinks that…but don't you think everything wrapped up too easily? They can't find any evidence for an entire year and then all of a sudden, the evidence practically falls into their laps."

Logan put on his jacket and grabbed his keys. "The guy screwed up. Case closed."

"I would just prefer it if you guys stayed in the crib tonight." Kendall continued. "You can still have your date. Just have it here."

Logan shook his head. "We can't have the conversation we need to have with you guys hovering around. "

"We'll leave."

Logan smiled. "Kendall, I appreciate your concern, but we'll be fine."

"Logan, please just have your date here." Kendall pleaded one more time, following Logan to the door.

"Not happening, Kendog." He replied, laughing. He was touched by Kendall's concern, but it was time for them to get on with their lives. He whistled to himself as he headed for Jo's, enjoying his first taste of freedom in a week. It was nice not being followed by his overprotective friends. He loved having them around…just not having them around all the time. He knocked on Jo's door, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

Jo opened the door, smiling back at him. "She's almost ready, stud."

Logan laughed. "Hi Jo."

"You look positively drool worthy." Jo continued, eyeing him up and down. Logan nervously tugged at his shirt collar.

"Jo, leave him alone." Camille laughed, coming to the door. Logan felt his breath catch in the back of his throat as he looked at her. She looked absolutely amazingly beautiful. He suddenly found it hard to breath.

"Logan?" Jo called, waving a hand in front of his face. Logan snapped out of his trance, embarrassed to be caught staring. Camille beamed.

"Camille, you look amazing." He said, enjoying the look of happiness that crossed over her features, lighting up her face even more.

"You look pretty great yourself." Camille said. "Ready?"

"Of course." Logan offered her his arm, leading her out of the apartment.

"Have fun you two!" Jo called after them, sighing happily. She was so happy to see her two friends together again.

"Where to?" Camille asked as they drove away from the Palm Woods. She watched Logan out of the corner of her eye, loving the way he looked in his leather jacket and jeans. He flashed her a smile when he caught her staring.

"Briarwood Café?" He asked.

Camille beamed. "Where we had our first date. Perfect."

"I thought you might like it." He said, pleased she was happy with his choice.

He parked the car moments later, rushing over to open her door for her, before leading her into the crowded outdoor café. It was a place Camille loved. They had come to this very spot for their first date, dining out in the beautiful California evening. It had been a magical night that Camille still thought about on occasion. She was thrilled to be back. She couldn't think of a more perfect place to go with Logan.

The greeter led them to a secluded table in the far corner, surrounded by amazing flower covered bushes. Camille blushed at the knowing look the young woman gave her, eyeing Logan with an appraising nod. She smiled as Logan held her seat out for her, marveling at his manners. He'd always been so considerate. It was one of the things Camille loved about him.

Whoa. Did she just think love?

Logan took his own seat as he gazed at her. He took a deep breath, seemingly working up the nerve to start talking. Camille just continued to smile, waiting for him to begin.

"So," Logan began awkwardly, his eyes roaming the café, refusing to settle on Camille. "About yesterday…"

"Yes?" Camille answered coyly, making Logan even more embarrassed. "What about yesterday?"

Logan took a deep breath. "Well, you know, some stuff happened yesterday. Some other stuff almost happened yesterday. Don't you think we should talk about it?" He broke off as the waitress approached, two menus in hand. He offered her a shy smile as she stared at him, her eyes wide with recognition.

"OMG, are you Logan Mitchell from Big Time Rush?" She squealed loudly, causing the other patrons to turn around and stare.

Logan's face turned red. Camille just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that would be me." He said awkwardly, still uncomfortable with public recognition. James would so be loving this right now.

"You are like my favorite band of all time!" The waitress continued, gushing. "I saw you perform last month and it was amazing! You are amazing!" Her hand came down to rest on his, her fingers gently brushing over his. Logan resisted the urge to pull his hand away.

"Thank you. That means a lot to us." He told her.

The girl leaned over the table, effectively cutting him off from Camille and Logan had to admire her determination. Her dark curls, very much like Camille's, fanned out over the table and Logan silently vowed to ignore the bread basket sitting beneath the massive mountain of hair. That was gross. He did his best to keep his face impassive, to hide his annoyance, and gave the girl a small smile as she continued to toy with his hand.

"You are the hottest one in the band." She cooed, her eyes locking with his. Camille coughed behind her, obviously trying to remind the other girl that she was there.

Logan blushed even more. "James would definitely disagree with that."

"He'd be wrong." The waitress purred, leaning further down, bringing her head closer to Logan's. "My name is Susan. I get off at eight."

"Hello?" Camille called from behind the waitress. "I'm sitting right here!"

The waitress turned to give her an annoyed glance, then turned her attention back to Logan.

"So, what do you say? Want to pick me up here at eight?"

Logan frowned slightly, trying to overcome his annoyance. "Actually, I'm here with someone." He inclined his head towards Camille, who was shooting death glares at the back of the waitress. "And we're kind of in the middle of something."

The waitress smirked. "Of course. But," she continued with a purr, "If you change your mind or want some different company, my offer still stands." She set the menus down in front of Logan and sauntered off, her hips swaying way more than was necessary.

Logan shook his head and gave Camille his best apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about that."

"No problem." Camille smiled. "It's not like we're dating or anything." She nervously twirled a long curl around her finger, her eyes on him.

Logan reached out to grab her hand, his thumb lazily rubbing circles in her palm. "But we could be…you know…dating." His face was red by the end of the sentence and Camille inwardly melted, in love with his awkward shyness, especially considering he had just been hit on by a random hot stranger. The boy simply did not realize his appeal.

"So you think we should try dating again?" Camille asked him, enjoying the uncertainty on his face.

"Well, you know, if you're interested and stuff, we could date again. You know, if you wanted to." Logan stammered, clearly uncomfortable. Camille decided to take pity on him, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Logan, I've wanted to date you since the moment I set eyes on you. You're the only person I've ever wanted to be with. Of course I want to get back together with you."

The smile that lit up his face was amazing and Camille found herself smiling in response. He could be so breathtaking when he smiled that cocky smile of his.

"But no more flirting with waitresses." She chided, making her face stern. Logan's smile faltered as he nervously rubbed his hand over the back of his neck.

"I wasn't flirting, she was flirting with me." He said quickly.

Camille just laughed. "I know you weren't flirting." She said. "I've seen you flirt and that wasn't it. I was just teasing."

Logan laughed with her. "I know how to flirt."

"Sure you do, baby." Camille teased.

"I could show you some quality flirting." Logan threatened as he opened up his menu, suddenly starving now that his nervousness was gone.

Camille laughed again. "Why don't we just stick with eating for now."

"So, have you decided?" Susan was back, smiling seductively at Logan. He was almost positive that she'd pulled her shirt down lower to expose more cleavage.

"I absolutely have." Logan replied, staring into Camille's eyes. Camille blushed happily at his implied meaning as Susan frowned slightly.

"We'll both have the special." Logan said, his attention still on Camille.

"Perfect." Camille agreed, gazing at Logan.

"Yes you are."

Susan cleared her throat, still trying to gain Logan's attention. She finally realized the game was lost and scooped up the ignored menus, walking away from the table in a huff. She returned moments later, plopping two bowls of soup on the table without a word.

"She's mad." Camille observed, picking up her spoon.

Logan shrugged. "She'll get over it."

Logan continued to smile at Camille, enjoying the cute way she was eating her soup. He just couldn't seem to get enough of looking at her. He realized he was staring and probably making her completely self-conscious, but he couldn't make himself stop. He'd always thought she was beautiful, since the first time they met, but for some reason, she was absolutely glowing right now and it was breathtaking.

The waitress tried one more time to gain his attention, setting his glass of coke down on the table next to him, leaning over to give him a good view of everything she had to offer. He muttered a thank you for the drink while he continued to devote all of his attention to Camille. Susan sighed loudly as she walked away, clearly annoyed that the pop star was daring to ignore her. Logan didn't care. He only had eyes for Camille.

"You pissed her off." Camille laughed to him. "She probably spit in your coke."

Logan wrinkled his nose, looking suspiciously at his drink. "You think so? That's gross." He pushed it over to her end of the table, a mischievous smile on his face. "Here, got you a coke."

Camille laughed. "Cute. You can keep the spit coke. It's all yours babe."

"Hmmm, I like when you call me nicknames."

"You just want me to drink the spit coke." Camille giggled.

"Like she didn't spit in your soup already?" Logan pointed out, making Camille pause in the middle of a bite.

"Ugh, this is the last time I go out to eat with you." Camille said, disgustedly dropping her spoon down on the table.

"This is probably the last time I come here to eat anyway." Logan laughed. "James can come here, he likes the attention."

"But she said you're her favorite."

"I'm her favorite because I'm sitting in her section." Logan argued.

"You're her favorite because you're hot and intelligent and funny." Camille told him seriously. "I wish you'd realize how great you are."

"I only care about being great for you." Logan countered, reaching for her hand again. "Seriously, Camille, you're the only one I care about. The thought of losing you this week was too much for me to handle."

Camille lowered her eyes to the table, away from the intensity of his gaze. "When I thought about you in the park, alone with that maniac, I felt the same way." She admitted, leaning in towards him. Logan reached out, placing his hand on her face as he leaned in, their lips meeting. She sighed into the kiss as he stroked the back of her head, running his fingers through her hair.

They broke for air moments later, each of them breathless from the heated kiss.

"Let's forget dinner." Logan begged, his desire for her raging, making his blood boil. Camille merely laughed.

"No. You owe me dinner and by golly, you're going to buy me dinner."

Logan frowned. "Did you just say by golly?"

"I did."

"You make that phrase sexy, Camille." His voice purred, making her tingle. He could be damn enticing when he decided to flirt. No girl would stand a chance against him. No girl would want to stand a chance against him.

"Where were we?" Logan murmured, leaning back towards her.

"Eating soup?" Camille laughed, pulling away playfully.

Logan growled softly in the back of his throat. "Eating soup was not what I had in mind."

Their meals arrived to interrupt him and Logan had a sneaky feeling that Susan had timed the delivery of the meals to purposely ruin his advances. Sighing, he ate his meal in silence, trying to stifle the desire that coursed through him as he watched Camille take small, seductive bites of her salad, her tongue teasing him as she licked salad dressing from her lips. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer. He reached for her, pausing only when his phone began to ring. He rolled his eyes at Camille, giving her an apologetic smile, and pulled the phone from his pocket to glance at the caller Display.

His heart skipped a beat as adrenaline surged through his body.

Blocked number.

No way.

He forced a smile to remain on his face as he shrugged and set the phone down on the table, ignoring the incessant ringing. "Must be a wrong number." He told Camille, who was looking at him strangely.

"But you didn't even answer it." She said, confused.

Logan's eyes darted around the crowded café, his mind in overdrive. The guy was dead. He'd hung himself in his cell. He had the mask…the knife…the stupid little recorder with Camille's voice on it. He'd had the freaking cat tail. Everything pointed to the bartender.

His phone started ringing again. He glanced down at it, willing it to stop.

Blocked number.

The forced smile fell from his face as he truly became nervous. No one was paying attention to them. The tables were full of happy people chatting with each other, families having dinner together. No one was standing out, looking inconspicuous.

Camille was watching him, her eyes darting between him and the ringing phone. "Logan, what's going on? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

"No reason." Logan said, more forcefully than he'd meant to. He sat tensely in his seat, waiting for the phone to start ringing again. Maybe it had been a wrong number.

Maybe it wasn't him.

It couldn't be him. He was dead.

"Can I get you anything else?" The waitress, Susan, was suddenly at his side, refilling his water glass. Logan flinched away from her, startled, as his eyes continued to scan the surrounding area.

"No. No, we're good, thanks." He told her, pulling his hand away quickly when her fingers brushed his as she reached to clear away some items from the table.

"Fine." She said curtly, frowning down at him. "Here's your bill. I can take it whenever you're ready."

Logan reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He dropped some money into her hand, barely bothering to glance at the bills. "Keep the change."

The girl looked down, and then looked back at him, her surprise evident on her face. "Thank you." She said quickly, hurrying away. Camille smacked him on the arm, regaining his attention.

"Logan! What is wrong with you? You just gave that chick two fifty dollar bills for a forty dollar dinner!" Her eyes narrowed. "What is going on?"

Logan shook his head, hesitant to worry her. He was being paranoid. Having a deranged psycho stalk you for a week would make anyone paranoid. His phone wasn't ringing anymore.

It had been a wrong number.

Logan took a deep breath, trying to dispel the adrenaline from his body. Of course it had been a wrong number. The guy was dead.

"Logan, you're starting to scare me." Camille told him. "We were having such a nice dinner until your phone started ringing."

"I'm sorry, Camille. I'm just on edge from the past week. But I'm really glad that we're doing this. I've been wanting to tell you for a while now that you're all I ever think about." He paused, grinning sheepishly at her.

Camille smiled brightly, obviously happy with what he'd just said. "I feel the same way."

"I'm glad we're back together."

Camille laughed. "I'm not sure we were ever not together."

"Everyone will be happy when they find out." Logan told her.

"Except your multitude of female fans." Camille joked, pausing when her phone started to ring. "Oh, hold on, that's probably Jo. Hello?" She said into the phone, her hand still toying playfully with Logan's fingers.

Logan watched the smile fade from her face as her eyes widened. "Who is this?"

"Camille, hang up." Logan told her, his gut telling him exactly who it was.

But the guy was dead. It couldn't be him.

Camille kept the phone glued to her ear, not hearing him.

"Camille! Hang up the damn phone!" Logan said more loudly, reaching across the table to take the phone from her. Camille backed away from him quickly, her hand clenched tightly around her phone. Her face blanched in front of his eyes. Logan was suddenly afraid that she would pass out, she was so pale.

"Camille! Hang up!"

"Logan." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Answer your phone."

As if on cue, his phone started to ring.

"Camille." He began.

Camille interrupted him. "Answer your phone, Logan. You have to." The way she said it made him pause. He stared into her eyes for a second, trying to decipher the look she was giving him.

"Logan, please." Camille pleaded, tears suddenly forming in the corners of her eyes. That was all it took. He couldn't deny her. He took a deep, steadying breath as he reached for his phone, pressing it to his ear.

"You will pay for ignoring me." The raspy voice made his blood run cold. The wrong guy was dead. The psycho was very much alive.

"You will pay for scaring my friend." Logan responded, his voice cold. "We are hanging up now and you will leave us alone."

"No, Logan!" Camille, hissed, both across from him and in his ear. They were on a conference call.

"I wonder who should go first. The child or the mother." The voice said menacingly, confusing Logan. What the hell was he talking about?

"I don't know what you're talking about, but we're done here." Logan moved the phone away from his ear, ready to hang up. Camille shrieked loudly, drawing the attention of some nearby diners as she lunged at him, placing the phone next to his ear again. He frowned at her, startled by her actions.

"Don't hang up!" She whispered in a panic. "Don't hang up on him!"

"She's right, Logan. You should never hang up on me."

"Yeah? And why is that?" Logan asked, growing angrier by the second.

"Because if you hang up on me, I will start shooting the other people in the café with you. Starting with that lovely child to your right and her pretty mother."

Logan's eyes moved to his right against his will, falling on the two people sitting next to him. A young girl, maybe ten years old, and her mother were having dinner together. The girl had been glancing his way all evening, seemingly working up the nerve to say something. A fan, maybe.

"You wouldn't dare."

"You want me to prove myself?" The man said angrily. "I told you I would never lie to you."

"You lied when you said you had Camille." Logan reminded him.

"Logan!" Camille was glancing at the mother and daughter next to them. "Stop!"

"Very well. If you need proof, I can prove myself to you. So answer my earlier question. Who should go first?" The daughter or the mother.? Never mind, I will surprise you."

"NO!" Logan yelled. The young girl glanced his way again as the mother shot him an annoyed glare. Logan forced a small smile in their direction, lowering his voice. "No, I don't need proof. I won't hang up."

"I thought you might say that." The man told him, making his blood boil. He sounded so damn condescending that it was all Logan could do not to hang up on his snarky ass. He ran his hand though his hair in frustration.

"Just tell us what you want."

The man chuckled in his ear. "It's simply. I want you. And your friend."

"You're sick."

"Don't bait me, boy." The man's voice darkened as he grew angry. "I will not be baited."

"But you will be disappointed." Logan told him. "There is no way that you will ever lay a hand on either of us. We will sit in this café until the police arrive and then we'll leave. We're out of your reach."

"Nothing is out of my reach." The voice grew raspier as the man became more agitated.

"We are."

"Logan!" Camille said again, her voice barely a whisper.

Logan looked at her. "Camille, stay out of this."

"You should listen to your pretty friend, boy." The man told him. "She understands your situation better than you do."

"And that would be?"

"You both will come willingly or I will begin shooting every single person in that café with you. When they are all dead, I will shoot you both. Beginning with your friend. Do you want to watch everyone around you die? Can you watch Camille die?"

He was bluffing. He had to be. Logan glanced around the café, noticing that the crowd had dwindled while he'd been distracted by the call. Only a handful of tables remained busy. There were a few couples on dates, a family in the far corner, the mother/daughter duo next to him. It would be entirely possible for him to shoot every single person in the area and still get away. It would only take a minute. He'd be gone before the police could even be notified.

He swallowed loudly, assessing his options. He could stall. Maybe more people would finish their meals and leave.

"Just me." Logan said. "I come willingly to you and you let everyone else go. You can't have Camille."

Camille shook her head. "No!"

"I want you both. And you are in no position to bargain."

"I think I am." Logan argued. "I think I'm in the perfect position to bargain. You can't have us if we're dead. And we both know you want us alive."

A moment of silence greeted him. "Life is full of disappointment." The man said finally. "I would mourn the missed opportunity, but I would move on. I've done my research on you and your friends and someone else has caught my eye. Maybe I would start with her. I believe her name is Katie and she can't stay in Minnesota forever."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Logan shouted into the phone, startling everyone around him. But at his point, he didn't care. No one threatened Katie. No one.

The man merely laughed. "Quiet, boy. You don't want to disturb the other diners."

Logan watched a couple near him get up to leave and silently cheered the loss of two potential victims. "Yeah." He said. "It would be a shame of everyone got up and left."

"You think I don't know what you're doing?" The man replied angrily. "You think I don't know your game?"

"I'm not sure what you mean." Logan answered coyly.

"We'll start with the young girl then. I think she's a fan of yours."

"No." Camille sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

Logan shook his head. "Don't do it. You do it and you lose."

"You can save her." The man told him. "All you have to do is come to me now."

"I can't do that."

"I don't think you understand how serious I am. Watch the water glass on the far table to your left, near the bushes."

Huh? Logan glanced over in time to see the discarded water glass explode, shards of glass flying everywhere. He must have used a silencer because there'd been no sound. Logan was momentarily surprised that no one noticed.

So the psycho wasn't bluffing.

Camille stared at him, wide eyed. He stared back at her. Game over.

"So now I will shoot the girl and you will believe me." The man taunted.

"No! No no, you can't do that." Logan was beginning to panic. This guy was serious and suddenly everyone around them was in jeopardy. Logan couldn't allow that. "You can have me. I'll come willingly. I won't fight. Just let everyone else and Camille go."

"I want you both."

"Dammit! You can't have her!" Logan growled.

"I will have you both or everyone will die. You have one minute to decide. I am tired of this game."

"Logan, we can't let him hurt them." Camille whispered, her eyes pleading with him. "We have to do what he wants."

"I promised he would never lay a hand on you." Logan whispered back. "He's not getting you."

"He will if it means saving all of these innocent people." Camille argued.

"Camille, I can't let it happen."

"Logan, you don't have a choice." She raised her voice, speaking into the phone. "We'll do what you ask. Just tell us what to do."

"Can you get your boy to agree to come willingly?" The man asked her.

"He'll come." Camille assured him, ignoring Logan's angry glare. "Just don't hurt anyone."

Logan shook his head in denial, his frustration growing. He couldn't see a way out and it was beginning to piss him off.

"The boy is getting angry." The man scoffed. "Look at how tense he is. He won't come willingly."

"He'll come." Camille said more forcefully. "We both will."

"The boy has a name." Logan muttered to himself.

"The boy is nothing and does not deserve a name." The man taunted.

"That's it!" Logan said into the phone. "I kicked your ass once and I can do it again!"

The man ignored him. "Your minute is up. Come willingly or people start dying."

"We'll come." Camille said.

"I want to hear it from the boy."

Camille looked pointedly at him, mouthing for him to say something. Her eyes darted around the café, noting all the customers who were still in danger. The mother and daughter were laughing at something the girl had just said. A couple near them was kissing softly over their ignored dessert.

Logan knew it was over. "We'll come."

"You will both stand up now. Walk to the back of the restaurant, to the alley." The man instructed. "I will be there. You will not fight. You will not run. If you do, I will kill one of you."

"We won't fight." Camille said.

"Like hell we won't." Logan muttered away from the phone.

"Hang up your phones and throw them away when you get to the alley." The man continued in a voice that sounded almost giddy. "Talk to no one and draw no attention to yourselves."

"Listen freak, we're doing what you want." Logan told him. "We're leaving the café. Leave these people alone." He paused, then decided to try one last time. "Make this easy for yourself. Let Camille go and I promise I'll come willingly. No fighting, no resistance. I'll do whatever you want. Just let her go." He ignored Camille's shaking head and pleading eyes as he talked.

"No more bargaining. You both come or everyone dies."

"You're an asshole." Logan told him.

"And you'll regret saying that."

Logan allowed a small smile. "Not likely."

The man was suddenly angry. Logan had pushed him too far. "Enough stalling. If you are not in the alley in two minutes, everyone will die. Do you understand?"

"Crystal clear." He looked at Camille and nodded, standing up slowly. She followed suite, ending the call at the same time he did. Finally free of the man's eavesdropping, Logan sidled up next to her, putting his arm around her waist for support. Camille wobbled against him, unsteady with fear. Logan leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"When I say so, I want you to run. Don't stop. Don't look back." He ordered. "Just run. As fast and as far as you can."

"Logan, no." Camille began shakily. He shook his head to stop her.

"You run. I want you to get as far away from here as you can. Find a public place…a store, another restaurant, anything inside a building where there are a lot of people. And you will find a phone and you will call for help. Stop shaking your head at me, you will do this. Camille? You have to do this."

She continued to shake her head as Logan guided her to the edge of the café, just outside the alley in the back. As demanded, they each threw their phone into the trash cans at the entrance, suddenly without their lifelines to help. Logan felt dread wash over him as the hopelessness of the situation sank in. He took a deep breath and turned towards Camille, placing his hands on either side of her face. The fear he saw in her eyes broke his heart and hardened his resolve at the same time.

"He won't touch you, Camille. You have my word."

She nodded, though the fear remained in her eyes. Logan's stare was intense, matching his determination to keep her safe.

"You will run." It wasn't a question. She nodded again. "Don't look back. Don't stop for any reason."

"I can't leave you." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears again. Her lower lip trembled as she fought to maintain some control.

"It's temporary and I will be fine." Logan gave her a small smile. "You can save me. Find a phone and get help."

"We can both run." Camille tried, knowing even as she said it that it would be impossible.

"Not when those people are at risk." Logan said, giving voice to what she already knew in her heart. They would never jeopardize the lives of innocent people to save themselves.

"Never be alone." Logan said quickly as they began to walk into the alley. "Never. I don't ever want you by yourself. Stay safe in your apartment until this guy is caught. The guys will protect you."

"Enough talk!" The raspy voice was close….closer than Logan would have thought. He jumped in surprise, shocked that their stalker was so close. Logan hoped he hadn't heard his instructions to Camille as he pushed her behind him, turning to face their attacker. Like before, the man wore a black mask over his face, concealing his identity. In his hand, hanging almost lazily at his side, was his rifle.

"We came." Logan told him, standing between Camille and the man. Camille tried to peer around him, but he pushed her back behind him. "You'll leave those people alone."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "They are nothing. They are not important. Live or die, no one will care."

"We care. And that was part of the deal."

"You are full of spunk." The man smirked beneath his mask. "That will change. Both of you, kneel down and put your hands behind your backs." He pulled out two pairs of handcuffs as he gave his instructions. His eyes narrowed as they failed to move quickly and he brought the gun up, pointing it at Logan. "I said on your knees. Now."

Camille squeaked behind Logan, making a move to comply, only to be pushed back behind him again. Logan took a step closer to the man, pretending to trip as he brought the barrel of the gun closer to his body. He needed the gun within reach. Freight Train had loved to talk to the boys between long studio sessions, sharing his stories and knowledge of self-defense and hand-to-hand combat. The boys had listened with enthusiasm, absorbing every lesson he had to give.

Including how to disarm an assailant holding a rifle. Of all the lessons Logan had heard, that one had seemed the most ridiculous. Until now.

Get in close. Leave the assailant less room to maneuver. Rifles at close range were less effective than a hand gun. The rifle worked in Logan's favor.

"Knees now, boy. Last warning before I shoot the girl." The man demanded, leaving no room for questions. Logan knew this would be his only chance. He silently threw out a prayer as he struck out with his arm, deflecting the barrel of the gun away from him and Camille, taking the man by surprise.

"Camille! Now!" He yelled, feeling immediate relief when she acted quickly, taking off down the alley, away from danger.

The man screamed in anger as Logan grabbed for the gun, holding the barrel away from him and away from the retreating Camille. He jabbed at the man with his elbow, catching him in the temple, eliciting a very satisfying grunt of pain. The man wobbled unsteadily from the blow before retaliating. Logan ducked the first blow aimed at his head, watching Camille disappear around the corner of the alley, into the street. She turned left and bolted, her eyes briefly meeting his before she was gone.

She was safe.

The next blow caught Logan in the stomach, making him double over as he struggled for breath. The man rallied, landing another punch to the side of his head, making him fall to the ground in a heap. His vision swirled as he shook his head, trying to clear away the spotted haze. He looked up, seeing the man standing over him breathing heavily. The rifle was pointed at his face, ending all thoughts of struggle.

"I told you not to fight."

"I always fight." Logan mumbled defiantly.

"You think the girl is safe. I'll still get her."

Logan allowed a smirk to grace his face, loving the look of anger in the man's eyes. "You'll never touch her, freak."

"And you'll pay for that. You'll wish you'd come easily. Stand up. Slowly."

Logan struggled to his feet, trying to ignore the waves of dizziness that washed over him.

"Hands behind your back." There was movement behind him and the sound of cuffs. Logan hesitated, earning another blow to the back of his head. He grunted in pain, urging the black haze at the corners of his eyes to go away as he slowly placed his hands behind his back. He was quickly running out of options.

"The police will find you." He said in a desperate attempt to delay whatever the man had planned. The cuffs locked into place around his wrists, biting painfully into his skin.

"You think so?" The man mocked him. "You think they'll find me?"

"Camille is calling them right now. They are probably already on their way."

"And who will come?"

"Simmons and Morris know who you are." Logan bluffed. "They know where you live. They'll put you behind bars for life."

"And that is where you're wrong." The man said, the tone of his voice chilling. Logan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something about the way he'd said that…

The man jerked him around to face him, suddenly pulling the mask of his face. Logan's eyes widened in horror as the true seriousness of his situation sank in.

"Detective Simmons." He said it quietly, unable to fully understand what he was seeing.

"You're mind now." Simmons sneered, raising his rifle. "And we're going to have some fun."

Logan ducked back as the rifle swung at his head, trying to avoid the blow. He wasn't quick enough and the gun connected with a sickening crunch, the resulting pain exploding through his skull. He crumpled to the ground as Simmons stood over him, his last thoughts on Camille, relieved she'd gotten away.

Camille held her breath as she watched the struggle in the alley from behind a parked car. Despite Logan's instructions she hadn't been able to simply leave him. She'd doubled back and hid behind a car in time to see Logan place his hands behind his back to be roughly cuffed together. Logan said something, a cocky smile on his face, before the man spun him around and pulled the mask off. Camille gasped, throwing a hand up over her mouth to stifle the sound. A look of horror flashed across Logan's face before he masked it, his features settling into a stoic mask.

Detective Simmons.

Oh no.

The familiar face was twisted into the most evil look that Camille had ever witnessed, displaying none of the professional kindness she'd previously seen in Simmons. It was almost as if this was a completely different man.

Simmons raised the rifle and struck Logan cruelly in the head, the sickening sound echoing down the alley to reach Camille. She watched him crumple bonelessly to the ground, where he landed in a heap.

The detective suddenly turned and stalked down the alley, towards the entrance where Camille hid. She ducked out of sight, ready to run. Moments later she heard the sound of an engine start up. She cautiously peered around the car and watched Simmons drag Logan into the back of a nondescript white van.

XY582C

Years of memorizing lines helped as she took in every detail she could, committing each one to memory.

Plate #XY582C. White Chevy van.

Camille watched as the van sped off, ignoring the insane impulse to dart out after it. Revealing herself would not help Logan. When the van disappeared from sight, Camille raced back down the alley to the trash cans near the entrance.

She needed her phone. Logan needed help.

She dug into the can, throwing trash out onto the ground as she searched for the phones. She found Logan's first and quickly dialed the number. Kendall's voice came on the line and she crumpled to the ground in relief.

"Hey Logan, what's up?"

"He took him." Camille's voice cracked as she choked back a sob.

"Camille?" Kendall said, confused. "Who took what? Where's Logan?"

"The stalker took him. It's Detective Simmons, Kendall. He's the stalker."

Kendall yelled for James and Carlos, screaming at them to call the police. "Where are you, Camille? We're coming to get you."

"He told me to run." Camille said, almost to herself. "Logan told me to hide."

"You did the right thing, Camille." Kendall told her. "Logan wants you to be safe. Now tell me where you are."

"Briarwood Café." She answered. "We were having dinner. Logan told me to hide."

"I think she's in shock." Kendall said to someone else on his end of the phone. Probably one of the other guys. Camille found she was having trouble following the conversation. Maybe she was going into shock.

"Stay in the café, Camille. Stay in the open, in sight of other people. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"He has Logan, Kendall." Camille said quietly.

"Not for long." Kendall assured her. "The bastard won't have him for long. We know who he is. He won't be able to hide."

"Logan said to run." Camille repeated again.

Kendall sounded out of breath, like he was running. "You did the right thing. Stay with me, Camille. Help is on the way."

"XY582C. White Chevy van." Camille said quickly as a sudden feeling of coldness enveloped her, her vision clouding over. Yeah, she was definitely in shock. She was going to pass out.

"Camille!" Kendall was yelling.

"Save him, Kendall." She murmured. "Please save him."

She passed out.

"Camille!"

Detective Morris stared at the surveillance footage in complete and utter disbelief. His mind absolutely refused to believe what he knew in his heart to be true.

He'd found video footage of the attack on Terrance.

Footage that Simmons had said didn't exist.

Terrance had been telling the truth. He'd been attacked outside the club. He'd been beaten up. His car had been stolen.

He wasn't the rapist/murderer they had believed he was.

The wrong man was dead.

The psycho was still on the loose.

The video continued to haunt him. A very visible tattoo could be seen on the assailant's arm. A very familiar tattoo.

The psycho was his partner.

Anger like Morris had never known consumed him as he thought back over the past year. All the missing evidence. All the bungled samples at the lab. The lack of witnesses, fingerprints, any evidence at all.

It was all because his partner…who he trusted with his life…was the man they were trying to catch.

The same man who'd killed an innocent man in the holding cells, right under their noses, and walked out of the station a free man.

The same man who was still criminally obsessed with a young man and his girlfriend…the same man who was gone completely off the grid and was currently at large, doing who knew what.

Morris grabbed his radio, immediately putting out an APB on his missing partner. If the dispatcher thought it was a weird request, she mercifully held her tongue. Morris had to talk to his captain, to plan their next move.

And he had to contact Mitchell and his friend and warn them of the danger they were still in. He reached for his phone, determined to warn them immediately, to keep them safe. He was surprised when it started ringing in his hand.

"Morris." He answered.

"Morris, get your ass to the station now." His captain yelled. "We got a problem."

"I know, Cap, I'm on my way there now. I've got to talk to you about Simmons."

"He kidnapped the boy." The captain shouted at him. "He's got him and we can't find him."

Morris cursed, completely taken by surprise. His partner had acted fast.

"Get here now. We've got to find him and we've got to find him now."

"We'll find him Cap." Morris replied, feeling increasingly betrayed by the man he thought he knew like a brother. "He can't hide from us."

"You better hope not, for that boy's sake."

Morris hoped not, for all their sakes.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! I hope it was worth the wait. Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought! ~ LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 10*: Chapter 10**

**A/N: Thanks for the positive reviews! Super excited to hear that people are enjoying this story.**

**As always, I do not own Big Time Rush. (speaking of, has everyone listened to the chorus of Windows Down? Doesn't it sound awesome! Can't wait for it to be released!)**

**CHAPTER TEN**

It was pitch black when Logan regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, momentarily stunned by his lack of sight. Panic threatened to overwhelm him as he tried to regain his senses.

Where the hell was he?

Why were his hands locked together behind him?

And again, where the hell was he?

Memory returned to him quickly as he suddenly became aware of the horrendous pain resonating through his head. Dinner with Camille…the incident at the café…the fight in the alley. It all came back to him in a flash.

The creep had bashed him in the head with the butt of his rifle. That explained the headache.

Logan gritted his teeth against the throbbing pain, wishing he had some Advil. And a nice soft bed to lie down on. Not this…where was he?...some kind of vehicle, judging by the vibrations and slight road noise.

Wherever he was, he had to get out now. There was no time for delay. Logan hadn't had an option when he'd sacrificed himself to save the other patrons and Camille…but he sure has hell had no intention of ending up in some special room, screaming his head off. He'd made a promise to himself to avoid that room and he meant to keep it.

First things first, he had to figure out where he was. The vehicle he was in had no windows, though as his eyes adjusted he could see more of the interior as light filtered in through the cracks in the door. Logan was pretty sure he was in a utility van of some sort. He had to pee…bad…so he figured he'd been unconscious for at least an hour…probably closer to two or three. That wasn't good. The steady speed the vehicle was maintaining told him they were most likely on a highway Also not good. As far as he could determine, he was in a van, on a highway, and had been travelling away from Los Angeles for at least one to three hours.

Crap.

He could be anywhere. And the further he got from Los Angeles, the more difficult finding him would become. Who knew where the hell this psycho was taking him!

Detective Simmons. The stalker was Detective Simmons. Logan couldn't seem to wrap his mind around that. The guy who had been investigating his case…the same guy who had told them to stay in their apartments until the stalker was caught. He was the stalker. And he'd eluded police for over a year. The man had to be as brilliant as he was crazy. And that fact scared Logan more than anything else.

Logan shifted on the ground, ignoring the cramps in his shoulders and the slight tug of his shirt at the shoulder, where his knife wound had reopened in the struggle. He could feel his shirt sticking to his skin…an indication that the wound had bled at some point. The cuffs cut painfully into the tender skin under his wrist as he moved, making him grit his teeth again. The bastard had locked them tight. There was no way he'd be able to slip them off. Logan remembered watching the hero in a recent action movie that Carlos had rented move his cuffed hands underneath his feet, to bring his hands back in front of him.

Jackie Chan.

Logan remembered the hero had been Jackie Chan.

Logan rolled onto his side, trying in vain to get his cuffed hands underneath him and over his feet. He struggled with the chore for a few minutes before he realized it was impossible.

Damn that Jackie Chan! Of course, the dude could also run up walls and Logan guessed he wouldn't be able to pull that move off either, but still! How was someone supposed to learn how to escape certain situations if movie stars did impossible stunts? Logan made a mental note to ban any and all future Jackie Chan movies from the apartment if he ever made it back.

Logan rolled back up into a sitting position and looked around the van while his mind contemplated his next move. He had to escape and fast. Logan's eyes fell on the two doors at the end of the van. Maybe they were unlocked. Maybe he would get a bit of luck and the psycho, in his haste to escape, had left them open. Hah! And maybe monkeys would fly out of his butt and become a small monkey army, sworn to defend him against raging lunatics. Logan could only hope. He stood up slowly, swaying briefly as he became accustomed to the moving vehicle, and made his way to the end of the van, walking slowly to avoid any unseen obstacles. He didn't want to trip over anything with his hands cuffed behind his back. The van seemed empty, minus him, and he made it to the door quietly, resting up against the cool wall as his head throbbed in time with the incessant squealing of one of the tires.

How could that not be bothering the freak driving the van? Could he not hear the squealing?

Then again, maybe he liked the squealing sound. If you didn't know what it was, you could imagine it was the screaming of an animal..maybe a rabbit. Maybe the psycho liked that. And now that he had the visual in his mind, Logan hated the sound even more.

What he wouldn't give for some Advil right now.

And keys to the cuffs.

And the monkey army.

He wasn't asking for much.

He turned around and backed up in the doors, struggling to find the door handle with his numb hands. He pulled up hard, but the handle didn't budge. Locked. The first door was locked. Logan cursed under his breath, feeling despair settle over him. If the doors were locked, he was trapped in the van.

Game over. Do not pass Go.

He moved over to the second door, his hand quickly finding the handle. He closed his eyes and offered up a prayer as he pulled up the level.

It moved.

Holy crap, the handle moved! Logan pulled up slowly, unable to believe it when he heard the door click and start to open. Wind rushed in at him through the small gap as he held onto the handle in a tight grip, not wanting the door to fully open just yet. The sunlight streaming in through the crack momentarily blinded him as he smiled to himself, happy with his first bit of good luck in a week. The creep had forgotten to lock the second door.

Logan looked over his shoulder, still struggling to hold onto the handle to keep the door from flinging open. He wasn't on a highway, like he'd first believed. It appeared to be a country road, surrounded by large trees on both sides. There was no other traffic visible to him, which would explain their steady speed. Logan opened the door up a bit more, trying to gain a better idea of where he was. There were no landmarks that he could see…no stores…no gas stations…no break in the trees at all. Logan had no idea where he was or where they were headed. One thing he was sure of was that he'd rather take his chances with the hard pavement than stay in the van and find out what was in that special room.

Judging by how quickly the trees passed by, Logan guessed they were going about 45 miles per hour. Fast, but not as fast as he'd first thought. He could still get seriously hurt if he landed wrong or hit the pavement badly. He hesitated, logic and sanity adding to the doubts already flooding his brain. He'd never jumped from a moving vehicle before. He'd seen Jackie Chan do it, but he'd already learned that Jackie Chan sucked and it was impossible to duplicate his stunts.

Damn that Jackie Chan!

But Logan also knew he couldn't stay in the van. His only option was to jump. He glanced off to the side of the road, relieved to see soft grassy areas before the trees. If he could jump off to the side and land in the grass, it probably wouldn't hurt as badly.

Taking a deep breath, Logan watched the trees whiz by while he worked up his nerve to make the jump. He wasn't a daredevil. That was Carlos. Carlos would have jumped by now, gotten back in the van and jumped again, just for the fun of it. But he had to jump. There was no other option.

On the count of ten.

One.

One and a half.

One and three quarters.

Two.

The van hit a pothole, taking Logan by surprise as the door was ripped from his grasp and he fell to the floor with a thud. The door flew open, hitting the side of the van with a deafening bang.

"Shit. Shit shit shit." Logan groaned, struggling to his feet. The van was slowing down…fast. Simmons has heard the bang of the door. People in China would have heard the bang of the door, it was that loud. Of course the super creepy psycho had heard it!

Logan scrambled to his feet, staring out the open door. Judging by the trees, their speed was about twenty miles per hour…if he was going to jump, now was the time. Logan closed his eyes and leapt, hitting the ground seconds later with a bone jarring thud. His legs buckled beneath him from the impact and he tucked and rolled, taking the brunt of the impact on his already injured shoulder. He heard the loud screeching of tires as he lied on the ground, unable to move. He was pretty sure there wasn't an inch on his body that wasn't covered in road rash and his shoulder throbbed horribly as he felt fresh blood seep into his dirty shirt.

"Owwww." Logan groaned, unwilling to leave the ground. Everything hurt. Jumping from a moving vehicle was not as cool in real life as it looked in the movies. Another reason he hated Jackie Chan! He forced his eyes open as the sound of grinding breaks reached his ears, reminding him that he had worse problems than a little road rash.

Simmons had stopped the van.

Oh crap.

Logan pushed aside the pain as adrenaline surged through his body. He had to run. Now. He struggled to his feet, ignoring the new pain in his right knee and ankle. He'd deal with those injuries later. Right now he had to get as far away from the deranged lunatic in the van as he possibly could. He had to outrun the deranged lunatic's shot gun.

The van door swung open with a bang and Logan's eyes shot towards the sound. Before he knew what he was doing, he took off into the trees that lined the road, using them for cover. He had to lose Simmons in the forest…it was his only chance.

"LOGAN!" The yell that reached him was full of fury. Logan cringed against the sound that assaulted his ears, his terror growing. Simmons sounded pissed. Logan ran faster.

The man almost lost control of the van when the back door hit the side of the vehicle with a bang. The boy was escaping. That was the only possibility. The voices screamed at him to stop the vehicle and secure the boy. They couldn't bear the thought of losing their newly acquired plaything when they were so close to their destination. Hours of driving north, away from Los Angeles, had only made them hungrier for the boy's blood as they were forced to wait until they reached the cabin. The voices so wanted to taste the boy's blood again.

Well, almost all the voices. There was one voice who cried out for the man to release the boy, to let him go unharmed. The once dominant voice in the group, the merciful voice, also known as Simmons, had been relegated to the background, forced out of his dominant role by the personality known only as 'the man.' The man had no real name…he'd never been given one. He'd never been special enough or loved enough by the others to deserve his own distinction. He'd only ever been allowed to come out on rare occasions to satisfy his lust for pain and blood and sex…and the others only begrudgingly let him come out to play when they grew tired of his whining and could subdue Simmons enough to let the man out. The other voices loved the violence and bloodshed that the man could provide them…the things they themselves were too timid to try. Only Simmons had ever complained when The Man had come out to play.

But no more.

The man had grown in strength, but he'd hidden it from Simmons. He'd been able to come out more…to overtake Simmons as the dominant voice. Simmons had known the man was becoming stronger, but he hadn't realized just how strong the man was. In fact, Simmons was close to exposing the man to his partner and his fellow officers. He'd almost done it, back in the police station. He had almost allowed Terrance, the stupid bartender, to expose him for what he was.

But the man had stopped it. And when he'd killed Terrence, he'd become strong enough to force Simmons to the background. Where he would stay until the man could kill him and be done with him completely.

Simmons screamed in his head to reconsider his plans for the boy. The boy was innocent. He didn't deserve the things that the man wanted to do to him. The man laughed as he slammed on the breaks, the tires squealing loudly on the deserted road. He watched in his mirror as the boy tumbled end over end, landing in a heap on the side of the road. He wasn't moving.

Perfect.

Time to teach him just what would happen if he tried to escape. The man reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed his ax. His favorite toy. He'd teach the boy a lesson, one appendage at a time until he had nothing left to run away on. Then the boy would know he had to stay with the man until the man was done with him. One way or another. The man opened the door and stalked around the side of the van, playfully twirling his ax in front of him while he thought about what he'd do to the naughty boy. The voices screamed ideas at him. Start with his fingers. No, his toes. No, an entire hand. The possibilities were endless. Some of the voices were more bloodthirsty than the others. The man liked those the best.

Simmons screamed at him to leave the boy alone. Maiming him was not the answer.

The man laughed again. In time, he'd be rid of Simmons and no one would tell him what to do again. The grin left his face as he rounded the end of the van and looked to where the boy had landed.

The empty spot where the boy had been lying.

The boy was gone.

The man screamed out the boy's name, allowing the fury he felt and the fury from the voices in his head to reach the boy hidden in the trees. His blood boiled as he glared into the woods, his eyes narrowing as he searched for signs of the boy's trail. Simmons was a hunter. An accomplished tracker. And the man would make use of his skills to hunt the boy down. At least the pansy detective was good for something.

His eyes fell on the patch of flattened grass and he smiled again. That was where the boy had entered the trees. The man hefted his ax and took off into the forest, intent on catching his prey quickly.

He hoped the boy was bleeding…the voices were suddenly thirsty. If he wasn't, he would be as soon as the man caught up to him.

Camille was sitting back at the table she'd shared with Logan, staring blankly out over the emptying restaurant. The police swarmed the area, questioning the other patrons to see if anyone had seen anything odd.

The only odd behavior reported by the other patrons had been hers and Logan's.

Nothing else had stood out.

Camille looked over at the second chair, just recently occupied by Logan, now occupied by a grim looking Detective Morris. He had his note pad out and he was barking questions at her, but her ears refused to hear him. She could tell by his facial expressions that he was getting irritated with her, but Camille didn't care. He'd failed her. He'd failed Logan. He'd allowed his partner…his partner!...to fool him so completely that Camille didn't feel she could trust the detective any more than she would trust Simmons. For all she knew, Morris could be working with Simmons.

"I'm not." Morris said suddenly and Camille raised her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry?"

Morris gave her a weary smile. "I'm not working with Simmons. And I'm sorry I let him fool me so completely."

Camille turned red, looking abashed. "I said that out loud, didn't I? I'm sorry, I meant to keep those thoughts to myself."

Morris gave a shrug. "No, I deserve whatever thoughts are rolling through that pretty head of yours. It is my fault that I didn't see what Simmons truly was. It's my fault for not putting the evidence together faster."

Camille's heart tugged at the miserable look on the detective's face. He'd lost a friend too, she suddenly realized. Simmons had been his friend. And he'd betrayed Morris more than anyone should ever be betrayed. "I'm sorry about your friend." She said softly, meeting his gaze.

"Yeah, well…he wasn't a real friend, was he?" Morris glanced over his note pad while he spoke, his gaze darting away from her and Camille noticed the look of hurt in his eyes seconds before he masked it. They both glanced up as a couple approached the table…the same young girl and mother who had been sitting next to Camille and Logan.

"Excuse me?" The mother said, her face pale. "I just wanted to say thank you to you and your friend for what you did tonight. I had no idea we were in such danger and I can never repay you for protecting my daughter."

Camille gave the woman a small smile and nod. "It was the right thing to do." She said.

The daughter clung to her mother's side, her face wet with tears. "Please find Logan." She whispered softly. "He's my favorite. Please promise me you'll find him."

Camille felt tears spring up in her own eyes as she took the young girl's hand. "He's my favorite too." She whispered back. "And I won't stop until I find him. You have my word."

The girl nodded as her mother guided her away, her arm settled protectively over her shoulders. Camille watched them go as tears streamed down her face. Logan would be happy to know that the girl and her mother were all right. He'd be happy to know that no patron of the Café had been injured. He'd be happy to know that Camille was safe.

But Camille wasn't happy. She wanted Logan to be as safe as everyone else was. She wanted Logan back. She smiled briefly as she watched the guys stop by the young girl on their way to Camille and offer her hugs and smiles. The girl smiled shyly as she hugged each of them, her eyes still bright with tears. Kendall leaned down and whispered something softly into her ear, which made her nod and smile. Camille looked at him curiously as he approached her.

"What did you say to her?"

Kendall blushed. "I told her that she can be our Cover Girl at our next concert and she can stand next to Logan on stage."

"Oh." Camille said, suddenly wondering if there would be a next concert and if Logan would be there to sing.

"He'll be there." James said and Camille looked at him.

"Did I say that out loud too?" She wondered, sure she was going crazy.

"No." James smiled. "You didn't need to. I could see your thoughts written plainly on your face. But he'll be there."

Morris stood up, closing his notebook. "I'm running the plate you gave me through the system, but Simmons will know that and has probably already ditched the plate for a new one. I've also put out an APB for the white van, but it's a standard utility van used all over the city. There are thousands of them to check. Which Simmons would also know." He sighed as he looked at the group. "I won't lie. This investigation just got that much harder now that we know Simmons is our guy. He's well trained in police work and he knows all the angles. Unless he messes up, I'm not sure how we'll find him."

"Well, that's encouraging." James said wryly. "Why don't we just go ahead and write Logan off now and save ourselves some time?"

Morris shook his head. "I'm not trying to discourage you guys, but I want you to know what we're facing here. That doesn't mean we don't have leads to check out."

"Such as?" Carlos asked.

"Such as, searching his home. Which I'm heading over to do now. And I've already got a team checking his locker, desk and computer back at the station."

"It's a start." Kendall told him.

Morris nodded. "It's a start. In the meantime, I want you all to head back home and stay there. Do not leave your apartments. Especially you, Camille. Simmons has Logan, but that doesn't mean that he still won't try for any of you. I'm not sure how far this obsession goes. And I won't have any more of you to go missing."

Camille nodded as she watched their waitress, Susan, close up the café for the night. The girl turned and caught sight of the guys, her expression turning smug as she smoothed down her skirt and arrogantly sauntered up to the group.

"I'm sorry about Logan." The girl said, brazenly eyeing up the guys as she spoke. "I feel like I had a connection with him and it hurts to know that he's gone."

"A connection?" Camille began, outrage forming at the girl's smugness.

The girl shrugged. "Yeah, well, whatever we had, it's over now that he's gone. I'm Susan, by the way." She said, thrusting her hand out to James, who shook it awkwardly. "I'm off work now, if any of you are interested in getting together. I'm a huge fan."

James released her hand as he glared at her. "A huge fan that just wrote off my buddy and is trying to hook up with his friends?"

Susan gave James a droll stare. "Sorry about your friend, dude, but I can't help what happened. All I can do is try to move on. So what do you say? Want to hang out?"

"Are you freakin kidding us right now?" Kendall yelled, glaring at the shocked waitress. "Logan saved your life. He saved the lives of everyone in this place and you write him off like he's nothing? I cannot even believe what I'm hearing right now."

"Dog! Heel!"

Heads spun around at the barked command, each boy automatically recognizing the source. Gustavo. Their savior had come. Kendall backed away from the stunned girl, still glaring at her, while Gustavo joined the group.

"You." He said, directing his attention to the speechless girl. "Leave now."

Susan looked back at Gustavo, completely dumbfounded. "Excuse me, but you can't talk to me like that." She sputtered, her face turning red.

"I can talk to you any way that I choose." Gustavo yelled back, fuming. "And after hearing you dismiss my dog like that, I want you to leave. Goodbye!"

"Good riddance." Camille added, waving her hand at the fuming girl.

"Yeah, bye bye." James added dismissively.

Susan huffed. "Whatever, I don't have to take this. You guys aren't all that great anyway."

"You just keep telling yourself that." James muttered, turning away from the departing girl. "Seriously, what's her deal anyway?"

Camille sighed. "She flirted with Logan, he ignored her. She got pissed. The end."

"Wow." Carlos said. "With fans like that..."

"Who needs enemies. Right." James finished.

"Detective." Gustavo said, turning his attention to Detective Morris. "Where's my dog?"

"We don't know." Morris admitted. "But we do have some leads to investigate. We will find him."

"In one piece?" Camille asked quietly.

No one answered her.

After a moment, Gustavo cleared his throat. "Dogs, I want you to go back to the Palm Woods. Stay in your crib until this is over. I've hired security to stay outside your door. Uh, Camille, that includes you too." Gustavo told her, looking uncomfortable. "Logan would want you kept safe, and that's what we intend to do."

Camille took a deep breath, standing up to leave. "Thank you, Gustavo." She said quietly.

"We'll find him." Gustavo said, before turning back to the boys. "No one speaks to the media about this, do you understand me?"

Everyone nodded.

He turned back to Morris. "Get to it Detective. Find our boy."

Logan ran as fast as he could through the dense foliage, stumbling over roots and logs as he ran. He could hear Simmons yelling after him in the distance, his voice growing closer and closer. A branch caught him in the face, opening the skin at his cheek and drawing blood, but Logan refused to stop. He had to put as much distance between himself and Simmons as he could. He had no idea where he was headed, but he'd deal with his location after he lost his pursuer.

"LOGAN! I WILL FIND YOU!" The voice that called after him sounded nothing like Simmons. It was too high pitched and giddy…it reminded Logan of the voice on the phone that night he went out into the park alone. He couldn't believe that voice belonged to the stoic detective, whose somber face and calm authority had assured Logan of his safety only days before. Logan tripped over another fallen tree and fell face first into the dirt, landing awkwardly on his head He sputtered dirt as he quickly rolled back up onto his feet and looked around. He heard Simmons crashing through the underbrush only seconds before he saw him, bursting through the trees like a madman on a mission.

Logan's eyes widened in panic as he quickly hid behind a large nearby tree. Simmons was carrying an ax. Holy crap, why was Simmons carrying an ax? He could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest, both from terror and exertion, while he struggled to control his breathing. He wondered if Simmons had seen him. If he had, the game was over. Logan couldn't outrun him with his hands cuffed awkwardly behind his back.

"LOGAN!"

Logan cringed. The yell sounded like it had come from the other side of the tree. His thumping heart stopped beating as he held his breath, not willing to make any noise to give away his position. The sky was rapidly darkening as night approached, the air becoming chilly. Logan hated the idea of being stuck in the woods in the dark, but he hoped the lack of light would aide him in his escape.

"LOGAN! COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE! THE VOICES WANT TO PLAY!"

The voices. Again with the voices. What voices was he talking about? And why the hell were they fixated on Logan? Remarkably, it sounded as if Simmons was moving further away from Logan's position, deeper into the trees.

Logan didn't want to play with the voices…not if they were armed with an ax.

He risked a glance around the side of the tree, hoping to spot the other man. If he was far enough away, Logan could make a run for it back to the road.

Simmons was gone.

Where the hell had he gone?

Logan risked leaning out further around the tree, his eyes scanning the rapidly darkening forest. Which way had the detective gone? Logan had no idea. All he could see were trees. No crazy people armed with axes. Nothing.

"LOGAN!"

Logan slammed himself back up against the tree as the scream rang out through the trees. Sounding further away than he had dared hope.

"I WILL CUT OFF YOUR FOOT AND EAT IT FOR DINNER!" The singsong voice rang out clearly, easily reaching him and he closed his eyes, his panic growing. So Simmons had plans to use the ax…

Bloody freakin hell!

Logan opened his eyes and peered around as resolve washed over him. He was going to get away. He was going to head back for the road and the van and get the hell out of here. No way was that asshole cutting off his foot. No freakin way.

He took a deep breath as he moved away from the tree, leaving the safety and cover it had provided him. His eyes stayed glued in the direction he'd last heard Simmons as he gingerly made his way back towards the road. Every sound he heard made his heart jump, certain the psycho would burst through the trees wielding his ax.

No one came.

He couldn't even hear him yelling anymore.

Maybe he'd lost him.

The forest was almost completely dark now and Logan was worried that he was getting lost. He was almost positive he should have reached the road by now, but he still hadn't come across it. Doubt filled him as he continued to stumble through the trees, tripping over more and more logs now that he only had the light of the moon to navigate by. His face stung from the numerous little cuts and scrapes he was getting from the tree branches, his knee and ankle throbbed in time with his head and his shoulder had dulled to a steady ache.

Not for the first time, Logan was seriously questioning the logic in handing himself over to the creep. What had seemed like a good idea at the time, saving Camille and the others at the Café, now just seemed freaking asinine.

Especially now that he was lost in the woods with a maniac chasing him…a maniac with a large ax.

The piercing sound of a branch breaking off to his right made Logan freeze and hold his breath, his eyes searching desperately for the cause of the sound. A deer? Squirrel?

Please be a deer or a squirrel…

Another branch cracking and Logan pressed himself up against a tree, hoping to hide in the shadows. Simmons had gone in the opposite direction. It was a deer.

Logan strained to hear another sound, any sound that could give him an indication as to what…and where…the maker of the sound was. When the forest became quiet again, he let loose a sigh of relief and pushed himself away from the tree. Whatever it was had moved on and it was time that he did the same.

He hadn't taken more than two steps before he caught sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He immediately took off running in the opposite direction, away from the large, man sized shadow that had emerged from the trees and was rushing towards him, faster than he would have thought possible.

"I found you!" The high pitched voice rang out loudly, making Logan cringe as he tried in vain to see where he was going in the dark forest. He couldn't see anything in front of him. The sound of running and eerie laughter was gaining on him as he picked up speed, praying he didn't slam into a tree.

Something slammed into his back, knocking him to the forest floor. He managed to turn onto his back before a foot planted itself heavily on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

"This seems familiar." Simmons said quietly, holding his ax nonchalantly by his side.

"So I guess this is where I kick your ass again." Logan struggled against the foot holding him down, but he found it impossible to gain any momentum with his hands tied behind his back. He rocked back and forth on the ground, trying in vain to remove the foot from his chest.

"WRONG!"

Logan's eyes grew wide at the sound of that one word, now devoid of any humor, it was full of malice and venom. He suddenly felt cold with a deep fear that, until now, he'd been able to keep at bay. He looked around as he continued to struggle, as if just realizing that he was alone, in the middle of nowhere, with an ax wielding crazy.

"You've been a bad boy." The voice was back to sing-song, almost childlike in its pitch. Logan found himself completely unnerved by the rapid change. "You need to be punished."

Logan gulped. Punished? He increased his struggles, but it was no use. Simmons was incredibly strong and without the use of his hands, Logan was trapped.

"The voices are arguing about you." Simmons continued, lifting up the ax so that the moonlight glinted off the shiny blade. Logan found his eyes glued to the weapon, unable to look away. "Some of them want me to make you bleed." The ax spun around as Simmons toyed with it. Logan could see the humorless grin on the other man's face in the light of the moon, making his skin crawl as he continued to stare at the ax. "Others want you in one piece. You are so pretty in one piece."

One piece? What the hell? "Look." Logan tried, ceasing his struggles as he fixated on the ax. He was momentarily proud that his voice didn't squeak. "Whatever you're thinking, it's a bad idea. Why don't you just put the ax down and we can talk about this?"

"I have no interest in talking, boy." Simmons growled. "My playthings do not run away from me and go unpunished."

"I'm not your plaything!" Logan yelled, struggling once more. Simmons moved his foot off of Logan's chest, planting it quickly on his exposed neck. The pressure was increased until Logan could hardly breathe, his eyes bulging out as he struggled for air.

"But you are." Simmons said darkly, his eyes narrowing as he watched Logan struggle beneath him. Logan gasped in small amounts of air as dark circles flooded his eyesight. The pressure increased even more until he couldn't breathe at all and he was positive Simmons would crush his larynx. Logan's struggles became more lethargic as his air deprived brain began to shut down, his eyelids drooping slowly. Maybe Simmons would just kill him and be done with it.

Logan couldn't be that lucky.

The foot was suddenly gone from his neck and Logan took deep, greedy breaths of air as Simmons grinned down at him, slamming his foot back onto Logan's chest, making the newly acquired air rush from his lungs. Logan gasped again, both in shock and pain, as he tried to regain his breath.

"Bad boys need to be punished." Simmons continued, raising the ax above his head. "You can't run if you are missing a foot."

"NO!" Logan yelled, his eyes widening as he watched the ax rise. He struggled even more to escape Simmons' grasp, trying to dislodge the foot that was holding him down. The ax swung down in a sharp arc and Logan closed his eyes, praying that it wouldn't hurt too much when the ax bit into his flesh. The ax connected with a dull thump and Logan cringed.

It didn't hurt at all.

That was weird. He opened his eyes and stared up at Simmons in disbelief. The other man seemed to be at war with himself, one hand holding the other down. Simmons shot Logan a desperate look and for a second, Logan saw the same expression he'd seen on Detective Simmons before…compassion and concern. And pleading eyes which were directed at him.

"Run!" The man said, the foot lifting from Logan's chest. "Run, boy! Get out of here!"

Confused, Logan scrambled to his feet, watching the one sided battle taking place in front of him. The facial expression on the other man suddenly turned more feral, full of malice, and the hand holding the ax down lifted. Simmons lifted the ax in triumph, turning towards Logan with a triumphant sneer.

"He thought he could save you, the fool." The other man snarled, stalking Logan, who was backing up slowly, his eyes still glued to the ax. "He's too weak. Too pathetic. He won't be able to help you again."

What the hell? This dude was completely crazy, Logan realized. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was positive the detective wasn't playing with a full deck.

"Come here, boy, and you won't be hurt. Much." Simmons growled, the ax raised above his head.

Logan shook his head, still backing up.

"You won't be able to escape."

Logan's eyes darted around, looking for a clear path in the dark forest. "I can try."

"COME HERE!"

Logan took off, into the trees, as fast as he could run. The demented howl that chased him made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a chill ran down his spine. Something whizzed past his head and hit a nearby tree with a heavy thud. The ax. Logan ran faster while the other man stopped at the tree, working to free the ax with a curse. He had no idea where he was going. He just knew he had to get away.

Logan had no idea how long he'd been running. It seemed like hours. Unable to run any further, he slowed down, struggling to control his breathing as he cocked his head to the side, listening for any sounds of pursuit. The forest was eerily quiet as he glanced around, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. It appeared that he'd lost Simmons for the moment. In the distance, Logan thought he could make out the soft hue of light and Logan headed off in that direction, praying that help was nearby.

His hopes rose when he came into a clearing surrounding a small log cabin. Light shone brightly from the one window in the front of the house, alluding to occupants. Occupants who might have a phone…or a gun…and would be willing to help him. Logan ran up to the cabin and stopped in front of the thick wooden door, banging on it with his foot.

"Help! Is anyone home? I need help!" Logan shouted, turning around to survey the edge of the clearing, expecting Simmons to emerge at any moment. "Help!"

The door swung open to reveal a large, bearded man in his sixties, who was scowling down at Logan, a large rifle in his hand. "What the hell do you want, boy?" The bearded man yelled. "Who the hell are you and why the hell are you on my property?" The rifle rose up to point directly at Logan's chest.

Logan took a careful step back, his eyes pleading. "My name is Logan. I was kidnapped and I'm being chased by a psycho with an ax."

"Say what, now?" The man said, raising an eyebrow. The gun remained pointed at Logan's chest. "You say you been kidnapped?"

Logan nodded. "By a whack job with an ax." Logan turned around, surveying the trees once more. "He's right behind me. Do you have a phone?"

"A whack job?" The man frowned, confused by the term.

"A crazy person!" Logan clarified. "Who is currently chasing me and is probably almost here! Do you have a phone?" He asked again, wishing the man would let him in.

"Well now, I don't have no phone to speak of. But if you in some trouble, boy, I can help." The other man said, lowering the rifle slightly. He looked uncertain as he gazed around the property cautiously.

Logan sighed with relief. "Help would be great." He told the man.

"Okay, then, well, you come on inside and I'll bar the door. Ain't no one be getting in my cabin." The man turned around to lead Logan into the cabin. Logan took one last look around the clearing and moved to follow the older man into the cabin when the man collapsed in front of him, an ax imbedded in his back.

Logan watched in horror and complete disbelief as the man tried in vain to reach behind him and remove the ax while blood flowed freely from the wound and down to the ground.

"What the." The man said lamely, falling face first to the ground.

Logan turned around in time to see Simmons stalking towards him across the clearing. Panic threatened to overwhelm him as he jumped over the body of the other man and ran into the cabin, struggling the close the door with his shoulder. It slammed shut and Logan desperately turned the lock with his cuffed hands. The other man's rifle sat uselessly on the floor near Logan's feet, but he had no way to fire it, with his hands still bound behind his back. He was trapped. He couldn't fight. He couldn't use the rifle. There was no escape. He'd just made the dumbest move possible by running into the cabin.

He was dead.

Just like the hermit lying in the pool of blood outside the heavy wooden door.

Shit shit shit! He was so stupid!

"LOGAN!"

The scream from outside the door made Logan jump back in terror. Simmons was close. Shit! Logan was dead.

"I'll cut this old geezer up and feed him to you piece by piece!" Simmons screamed on the other side of the door. "You'll eat old man until you puke!"

Logan looked around the one room cabin in desperation as the sound of an ax whacking the ground rang through the room.

The window near Logan's head shattered and something fell to the floor, dropping bits of blood around it.

"There's his foot!" Simmons screamed.

Logan backed away from the lifeless object on the floor, bile rising in his throat.

More chopping sounds filtered through the broken window.

Logan looked around frantically for a way out of the cabin.

Something else sailed through the window, landing with a thud at Logan's feet.

"There's a hand!"

"Stop!" Logan yelled, backing away from the hand.

"The voices are loving this!" Simmons yelled back. "You've made them so hungry for blood! Come out and I'll give them yours!"

"Hell no!" Logan shouted. "Hack yourself up and give them that!"

"Come out Logan! Come see the hacked up old geezer." Simmons' voice was getting higher in pitch as his excitement grew. Another body part soared through the window and landed with a thump on the ground, blood spurting on the floor.

The head.

The freak had chopped off the poor guy's head.

Logan swallowed down bile, wishing he could cover his ears to block out the sounds of the maniacal laughter outside the door.

"He's looking at you!" Simmons giggled. "Time to come out Logan!"

Logan backed up against the far wall, his eyes glued to the door.

"COME OUT!"

There was nowhere to go. No other exit to the small, one room cabin. With his hands tied behind his back, Logan had no way to defend himself. The rifle on the floor taunted him with his inability to use it.

He'd made a mistake. And it could cost him his life.

A deafening banging began on the wooden door as Simmons hacked into it with the ax, splintering the wood into large chunks that fell to the ground. A small hole emerged and Logan could see Simmons on the other side, glaring in at him.

"Here I come."

Logan closed his eyes to block out the creepy sight of Simmons busting through the door. He was dead. He had nowhere to go. He had no choice but to accept defeat and hope Simmons didn't kill him.

The door exploded into a thousand tiny shards of wood as Simmons busted it down with his foot. He stood in the doorway, looking enormously intimidating, the ax in his hand still dripping blood from the dead man outside.

"On the floor." The statement left no room for denial. Feeling completely defeated, Logan sank slowly to the ground.

He'd made a horrible mistake.

He prayed the old man outside would forgive him for getting him killed. He should never have approached the cabin. He would have been safer hiding in the woods.

So close. He'd been so close to freedom.

But the mistake had been made. It was time Logan faced the consequences.

"Facedown, on your stomach." Simmons barked, ominously raising the ax up to his face. He slowly ran his tongue down the side of the blade, savoring the taste of the old hermit. Logan watched him, his terror increasing. Simmons swallowed, his face twisted into a grotesque look of pleasure.

"NOW!" He suddenly screamed and Logan hurried to comply, feeling completely vulnerable, his back exposed to the psycho with the ax. He cringed as he heard the other man walk over to him across the wooden floor, his boots echoing loudly in the one room building.

"That was stupid, boy."

"I had to try." Logan mumbled into the floor boards.

"The voices are angry. They want your blood." A pause. "All except one. Simmons wants me to let you go."

The detective talked as if Simmons was an entirely different person and Logan couldn't help but wonder what his game was.

"Then let me go." Logan said softly, momentarily angry at himself for the quiet plea.

"I said Simmons wants to let you go. But he's not in charge anymore! I AM!" The other man screamed down at him.

Logan could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he waited to see what the man would do. He was obviously unstable. And Logan was developing a horrible hypothesis as to what was wrong with him.

"Simmons wants you to let me go." Logan began, knowing as he spoke that he was right. "So who are you?"

The ax came down quickly, imbedding itself into the floor only centimeters from Logan's head. He cringed and flinched away from the weapon, his heart stopping. The man above him only laughed.

"I have no name." The other man said. "I was never given one. But I'm in charge now and they will listen to me."

So that was it then. Multiple Personality Disorder. Instead of just one crazy dude, Logan was dealing with multiple crazy dudes, all trapped in the same body.

This was bad.

This was sooooo bad!

He knew then that Detective Simmons had only been one personality in a sea of who knew how many. This unnamed man was the stalker. The rapist. The killer. Not Simmons.

Hot breath was suddenly on his ear as a heavy knee pinned him to the floor.

"Simmons can't save you now, little boy." The damp breath on his face made was repulsive in its intimacy. Logan turned his head away, only to receive a hard blow to his head. "Don't turn away from me! Simmons saved you from me in the woods, but he can't save you here. You're mine."

So it was Simmons who had allowed him to escape earlier in the woods, when the other personality had wanted to chop him up with the ax. Logan was momentarily glad for any friend he could get.

"If he's still inside your head, he can save me again." Logan taunted, knowing it was a mistake. He just couldn't help himself.

The second blow to his head did not come as a surprise, but it still hurt like hell, rattling his teeth as his face slammed into the hard wooden floor.

"The next time you wake up, little Logan, we'll have some fun. The voices want me to punish you and I think I'll enjoy it." The man said softly, his hot breath still hovering near Logan's ear. Logan flinched away when the other man licked his neck, then bit down hard, making Logan cry out in surprise and pain.

"You scream so good." The man moaned above him. "I love how rich your voice sounds when you cry out."

"Go to hell!" Logan groaned as fresh blood ran down his neck onto the floor.

"You'll be there soon enough." The man growled, pushing up Logan's sleeve. "The things the voices want me to do to you are horrible. But I'll do them. I'll do them all. And I'll love every second of it."

A quick, sharp prick in Logan's bicep told him that he'd just been injected with something. His eyes quickly blacked over as consciousness slipped away.

When he woke up next, the pain would begin.

The man had promised.

Logan prayed that he would never wake up.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

A/N: So, there you have it. Sorry for the delay…I couldn't find a good place to stop writing until now. All future chapters will probably be as long, if not longer, than this one now that I'm into the nitty gritty of the story. And yes, I did just say nitty gritty. I like it, I think it's cool. It's one of those phrases that everyone should try to use. Please review!

***Chapter 11*: Chapter 11**

**A/N: Finally! Chapter Eleven is done! Not sure what took me so long. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! And as always, I do not own Big Time Rush.**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

The man watched the boy sleep.

He looked so peaceful with his eyes closed, his long dark lashes fanning out. So pretty. He looked perfect, here in the man's special room, surrounded by all the man's favorite toys. Spread out across the table, his hands and feet tied securely to the corners, the boy was ready to be played with. He just needed to wake up.

The voices told the man to wake him up. The ways they suggested he do that were vicious and the man smiled, listening to each idea in turn. Ever impatient, the voices demanded entertainment. The man knew each of them intimately, having spent so much of his life with them. These voices that were too timid to do these things themselves, but demanded satisfaction from him whenever he'd been able to claw his way to the surface. Now that he was finally in control, the voices would respect him. Or they would die. Just like Simmons.

The man let his eyes wander over the naked boy bound to his table. Fit and trim, he had a body the man envied. If he looked like this, maybe women would find him more attractive and he wouldn't have to rip their affections from them so brutally. Girls had liked Simmons well enough, but never the man. They'd always rejected him, just like his family and the voices in his mind. No one wanted the man around.

But this boy…that was a different story. Women lusted after him, offering themselves to him freely. Men wanted to be just like him. What made him so special? His good looks? His sculpted chest and abs? The cocky smile? The man didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted him too. From the second he'd brushed past him and stolen the girl from his grasp, the man had been obsessed with claiming this boy. He wanted to make him beg…for mercy, for relief, for anything the man would give him. He wanted to hear him scream out in pain and pleasure. The man wondered if there would be a difference in the tone. Which would satisfy his lust more? Pain filled screams or lust filled ones? The man couldn't wait to find out.

This game was so new to him. For the first time, he wanted to play with the object of his desire. Take his time and see what he was made of. In the past, he'd been after only the fleeting moments of gratification that sex could provide. He found his prey, took what he wanted and, sated, would return to the background, allowing Simmons to control the everyday functions of the body they shared. But this boy had ignited a fire him that he could not ignore. He had to make him his own. He had to claim him. The boy would soon recognize the man as his master and he would be grateful for his existence in this room…his sole existence to please the man.

The man suddenly frowned as he continued to stare down at the boy. There was a matter of importance to see to, before he could satisfy other, more gratifying urges. The boy was defiant. He'd disobeyed the man on more than one occasion and that could not be allowed. For the man to claim the boy completely, the boy needed to learn his place. The man had promised him punishment and it was time to make good on that promise.

The voices agreed. Make the boy bleed, they screamed in his head.

It was time. The boy had slept long enough.

The man stood over the naked body of the sleeping boy, trying to decide where to begin. So many delicious areas to explore. So many ways to make him scream. The man smiled.

"Wakey wakey." He whispered next to the sleeping boy's ear. "Time to play."

Dark lashes fluttered slowly as the man watched, his anticipation growing to almost unbearable levels as eyes slowly opened. He retreated to the shadows to wait. The voices moaned in his head, waiting for that one moment when the boy realized where he was. When the fear would show in his eyes.

They didn't have to wait long.

Logan heard a soft voice near his ear, whispering for him to wake up. His eyes slowly opened as he fought the cobwebs in his mind, wondering vaguely why it was so hard to focus. His skin felt uncomfortably cool as a breeze blew over his skin. Logan's befuddled mind briefly digested the situation while he continued to force his eyes to open, even as his brain tried so hard to remind him that he shouldn't. Somewhere is the dark recesses of his mind, he knew he would regret waking up.

But his eyes opened anyway.

He should have listened to himself.

Logan realized almost immediately that something wasn't right. He wanted to sit up and look around, but his arms and legs refused to obey his commands. He almost panicked when he realized that he was strapped down to a table. He did panic when he realized he was naked. He lifted his head as far as he could manage and looked around the room with wide eyes.

Where the hell was he?

He was getting seriously tired of waking up in strange locations. His eyes darted around the room, his panic increasing as he saw just how horrible it was. He was in a basement. He was pretty sure about that. It was a fairly large room, devoid of windows. The walls and floor looked to be cement. The room itself was cold and damp. Logan could feel goose bumps forming on his bare skin as he surveyed his surroundings. The room was dimly lit by small fluorescent lights that lined the parameter walls, up near the ceiling. The light that was emitted was dull and barely enough to chase away the shadows. Logan was having a hard time picking out shapes in the dark room. He didn't even know if he was alone. What he could see of the room chilled him to the bone.

Lining the walls, hanging meticulously on individual hooks, were all the tools needed to make him have nightmares for the rest of his life. Anything and everything needed to make a horror film were currently residing in this small, cold room. With him. And he was strapped naked to a table.

Holy Shit.

What Logan assumed were whips hung together just to the right of his head. He had a pretty good view of that section of the wall and for a moment, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the collection. Some looked to be small, like riding crops. Others had multi-pronged ends, covered in barbs. Logan didn't know the names. He just knew they looked like they would hurt if they hit you.

Other devices on the wall he could identify, but he could only guess what they use might be. Baseball bats hung together, near the whips, ranging in size from the ones little kids used in T-Ball, to much bigger ones used by adults.

Typical tools were lined up next to the bats…saws…Logan swallowed audibly when he saw those…hammers, screwdrivers. A blowtorch. Near his head, resting on a small shelf were wooden boxes, closed so that he couldn't see what was inside. Logan found he was terrified of those boxes. He quickly looked away from the wall, scanning the room. A solid wooden chair sat in the middle of the room, conveniently placed above a small drain the floor.

That didn't look good.

Near the chair, metal rings hung suspended from the ceiling, reminding Logan of the rings he used to use as a kid in gymnastics. He'd hated those rings. These rings looked even worse. Beneath the ceiling rings were two more rings, imbedded in the floor. Logan didn't have to guess how that whole contraption worked. Hands go in the ceiling rings…feet go in the floor rings. Duh. Nasty things happen to the guy strapped into the rings.

That would be him.

Shit shit shit! Logan struggled to control his breathing as his mind played over all the scenarios about how the items in the room could be used. He was momentarily pissed at Carlos for renting all those spy movies. Images from those movies consumed his mind as he looked around the room, taking in all the items hanging on the walls.

The man stood in the corner of the dark room, watching the boy as he looked around. The fear in his eyes was absolutely outstanding and the voices were practically orgasmic in their elation. Finally! Finally they had found the fear they were looking for. Strapped to a table, naked and seemingly alone, the boy had finally allowed his fear to show. The man relished it as he watched him, knowing that the moment he revealed himself, the boy's mask would fall back into place. And he'd have to work all that much harder to see the look of fear in his eyes again.

The boy pivoted his head around, looking as much around him as he was able. His eyes settled on the wall next to him…the man's toy wall…and his gaze remained fixated on the whips for a few moments, before moving on. The man took note. The boy was afraid of whips. That made the man want to play with the whips that much more. The boy's head moved to the other side of the room and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the rings hanging from the ceiling. Then he noticed the rings in the floor. The man could see the moment of realization as he figured out what those rings would be used for. The man couldn't wait to use those rings…to see the boy's magnificent body strung up, exposed and vulnerable…his to play with as he pleased. The boy would be at his mercy. And the man loved that. The voices loved that too.

The man was in complete ecstasy right now. Every moment of fear…every terror filled realization that hit the boy…was giving him joy. He could literally see it in the boy's eyes as he gazed around the room. This boy was the perfect victim for this room and the man couldn't wait to try everything on him.

The cats had screamed. So had the dogs. The screams of the rabbits were the best. But none of those creatures could truly tell him how they felt. How being hurt by him made them feel. They couldn't cry and beg him to stop. They could only scream. And the man wanted begging. This was his first time experimenting on a human and he decided that he would gain whatever knowledge he could from the boy, to be used on future victims. The man was a scholar. He was a genius. And he wanted to learn. He ached to learn what could break a person's will. What could turn them into a shell of their former selves. And he wanted to know just how much pain a person could be put through before they went crazy…or died. Or both. The man wasn't sure yet…this was his first time after all. He would learn with Logan. And when he was done with Logan, he would catch that curly haired bitch girlfriend of his and experiment on her. But hell, why stop there? He'd gain what knowledge he could from the girl and then move on to the boy's friends…that tall pretty boy with the long eye lashes, who was prettier than most girls. Or that smaller Latino boy. The man was sure he would be a screamer. He'd use the whips on that boy. And the boy would cry. The man was positive he would cry. Then there was the matter of the blond kid. He was a feisty boy. Defiance practically oozed out of him. The man could break him of that.

The voices cautioned him, admonishing him for his over eagerness. One victim at a time, they were telling him. Start with the spectacular specimen currently strapped to the table…the one they couldn't stop lusting after. Start with him.

And start with him now!

Yes. The man smirked as the boy began struggling against the straps, trying to free himself from the table. That's it, struggle. God, how he loved it when they struggled! He found himself growing hard as he watched the boy grunt and strain against the binds. He buckled and arched his back, trying to gain whatever leverage he could and the man stifled a groan. Raw, undiluted sexual power radiated from the boy. He was so fucking perfect and the man found himself suddenly overcome with lust. He reached down and freed himself from his pants, gently stroking himself as the boy continued to struggle.

If the boy had been a girl, he's already be using her, relieving himself at her expense. As the man stroked himself, he wished he'd been able to get the girl too. He'd pound into her so hard she'd see stars while the boy watched, helpless to save her. There would be no better way to torture him.

But he didn't have the girl. And as much as he lusted for the boy…for his hard, lean body…the man just wasn't ready to cross that line yet. He'd have to find his relief some other way. The man decided in that moment, as he leaned against the hard, cool wall, his eyes glazed over, that he would have to bring another victim here. Now. At least for a short while. He needed sexual release. And he knew exactly who the victim would be.

He'd go and get her as soon as he was finished with the matter at hand.

It was time to administer the boy's punishment for his earlier defiance.

One last stroke and he arched his back, savoring the quick release he'd just given himself. He wasn't able to completely withhold the resulting groan and the boy suddenly stilled, his eyes boring into the darkness.

"Who's there?" He asked, his voice deliciously defiant once again. The mask slammed quickly back into place, any earlier evidence of fear suddenly gone. The man smirked as he emerged from the shadows to stare down at the insolent boy.

Logan struggled to maintain some composure as he watched Simmons rearrange himself as he wiped his hand on his pants. It was almost comically obvious what the older man had just done and Logan was finding it hard to breath past his fear. He'd never felt so vulnerable as he did now, strapped to the table while the perverted psychopath stalked over to him, his eyes unabashedly raking over Logan's nude form. Logan took a deep breath.

"Let me go."

The man ignored him as he continued to leer down at his body. "I could do so many things to you." He said softly. "Letting you go is not one of them." Logan paled as he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Simmons, just let me go." Logan tried again, hoping to reach the more sane personality. The older man's face went rigid and his eyes darkened with a sudden rage.

"I AM NOT SIMMONS!" He screamed down at Logan, spittle flying from his mouth and landing on Logan's bare chest. Logan flinched back, away from the suddenly furious man. "Simmons is gone. I killed him. He was weak and useless and I am in charge now."

"Okay. Okay." Logan said softly, trying to placate the enraged man. "I'm sorry. He was the only one I knew. I don't know what to call you."

The man looked thoughtful. "Yes. I should have a name now. I am important enough for a name." He smiled. "You will call me Master."

Logan smirked, despite his growing fear. "No way am I calling you Master."

The other man frowned. "For now, you can refer to me as Hyde but you will call me Master soon enough."

"Hyde?" Genius scientist with duel personalities? Seemed fitting. "Jeckle is more like it. He was the monster."

Hyde's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I will break you of your defiance and you'll realize that this is your life now."

"I will get out of here." Logan told him. "My friends will find me. Detective Morris will find me. And you'll go to prison where you belong."

Logan knew to expect the blow, but it still hurt like hell when Hyde struck out with his hand, punching him solidly in the face. Blood spurted from Logan's nose as stars danced in front of his eyes.

"You will learn!" Hyde hissed. Logan groggily watched him stalk up to the wall near his head and pluck a box off the shelf. One of the dreaded boxes. Oh shit. Nervous adrenaline coursed through his body as he waited for Hyde to begin whatever he was planning on doing.

Logan thought the waiting was the worst.

He hated waiting.

Ever since the whole thing had begun, with the letter left in the lobby, hinting at torture rooms and making horrible promises, Logan had been waiting. Somehow, despite his promises to himself, he'd known he would arrive at this place.

And now he was here. Waiting.

Waiting sucked.

Hyde fiddled with the box in his hand, ignoring Logan for the moment as he seemed to talk to himself. "He's been naughty." Hyde whispered. "He needs to be punished. She needs to be punished too. She should be here with him. It's her fault I have to punish him so severely. And he ran. He needs to be punished for that too. Yes, I remember the park. I have a special punishment reserved for that. He should never have touched us like he did."

Logan stared up at the man, listening to the one sided conversation with a morbid fascination. This man truly was crazy. Logan idly wondered how many different personalities resided in that one brain. Simmons. And this man. Logan still refused to refer to him as Master. And then there were the mysterious Voices.

Hyde seemed to finish his conversation, looking satisfied with whatever outcome he'd reached as he turned his attention back to the scared boy strapped to the table, smirking down at him.

"Your girlfriend was supposed to be here too. This was going to be her spot. I was going to chain you to the ceiling so you could watch."

Logan glared up at him, pissed off that the creep was talking about Camille.

"She got away." Logan told him. "And you'll never touch her. She's too well guarded now."

"We'll see." Hyde said dismissively. He continued to toy with the object in his hand. "If she was here, you wouldn't have to be punished so severely. You could have shared your punishment with her. But she's not here, so you get to experience everything that I had planned for the two of you."

Logan didn't respond. His head began to pound slightly from the amount of nervous energy racing through his body. Though he was trying his hardest to hide it, Logan didn't think he'd ever been as terrified as he was right now.

"I could do without the monologue." He said to Hyde. "Just do whatever you're going to do."

"So eager for pain? I can accommodate you." Hyde nodded absently while he fiddled with the box in his hand. His eyes returned to Logan's body, leering up and down the length of his form. Logan averted his own eyes, refusing to acknowledge the other man's grotesque attentions. He chose a spot on the wall, a dubious stain, and focused on that instead.

"So perfect." Hyde whispered to himself, almost too quietly for Logan to hear. Logan closed his eyes and thought of other things…other places…anything to take him away from this time and place.

"I've done this to animals, but never humans." Hyde said suddenly and that got Logan's attention as he turned his head sharply to look at the other man in confusion.

Done what to animals?

Oh crap.

"You should have let me have her."

What? Oh, he was talking about Camille.

"Back at the club." Hyde continued. "If you had let me have her, this wouldn't be happening now. The voices wouldn't have wanted you. I wouldn't have wanted you."

"You will never have her." He said, pleased at the defiant tone his voice now had.

Hyde nodded. "You're right. I don't have her here. Pity. But you will let her know how you feel while I punish you. Shall we give her a call?"

A phone suddenly appeared in the other man's hands and he quickly dialed, placing the call on speaker and setting the phone down next to Logan's head.

Logan listened to the phone ring, silently praying that Camille wouldn't answer it. He didn't want her involved in this in any way. Whatever was going to happen to him, he wanted it to be private.

"Hello?" Her timid voice was unmistakable and Logan cursed his bad luck. He started to call out to her to hang the phone up when a large hand clamped itself over his mouth, effectively cutting off his demand. Logan strained against the hand, trying to get his warning out, but it was no use.

"I have a naughty boy here." Hyde whispered.

A sharp intake of breath could be heard, followed by a pause. Eventually she found her voice. "Don't you dare hurt him!"

"I'm hurting him because of you." Hyde responded. "Because you got away. How does that make you feel, Camille?"

Logan grunted against the hand, trying to make himself heard, but Hyde barely spared him a glance.

"Just please." Camille pleaded softly. "Just please let him go."

"Would you come to me if I let him go?" Hyde asked? Logan struggled even harder, shaking his head violently from side to side. Hyde smirked down at him.

There was a pause on the other end. Finally she answered. "I would do anything to protect Logan."

Logan fought against the hand keeping him silent. No way did he want Camille to try and save him. No way.

"But," Camille continued sadly, "That's not what Logan wants. I won't let you hurt him that way."

"So you'll let me hurt him in other ways." Hyde told her. "This is on your hands, girl. His pain is on your hands."

"Whatever you do to him is your doing…not mine." Camille replied angrily.

Hyde shrugged. "If that makes you feel better, so be it. Would you like to know what I will be doing to him?"

"I want you to leave him alone."

"You know that won't happen." Hyde told her. "Logan, tell Camille what I'm doing to you." He removed his hand and the second he did, Logan yelled out to Camille.

"Camille! Hang up the phone and destroy it!" He yelled. "Do it!"

Hyde slapped him hard in the face for his efforts, making his eyes water and his head spin. The hand was replaced over his mouth as Hyde glared at him.

"You are a naughty boy and you will be punished even more for that outburst." He said before returning to his conversation with Camille. "What Logan meant to say was that I have him strapped naked to my table. Does the fact that he's naked excite you Camille?"

Camille didn't answer.

"It excites me." Hyde answered for you. "You've seen him naked, Camille. You know how handsome he is. How nice his body is. How hard."

"Leave him alone." Camille said softly. "Leave us alone."

"It's too late for that. He should have let me have you in the club, instead of stealing you away from me. You were mine that night and he took you away. I can't forgive that."

"I was never yours."

"YOU WERE MINE!" Hyde screamed and Logan's eyes widened in surprise. "Now he's mine. And I can see Logan is getting anxious to begin his punishment. Aren't you, Logan? Oh wait, you can't answer. My hand is over your mouth. I'm going to remove my hand but if you yell out to Camille again, you will regret it. Do you understand?"

Logan nodded and the hand was removed.

"CAMILLE! HANG UP THE DAMN PHONE!" Logan yelled, despite the warning he'd received. He didn't want Camille listening in to whatever torture Hyde had planned.

"Logan!" Camille yelled back. "I love you!"

The hand was replaced over his mouth before he could respond, but deep down, Logan was stunned. She'd just said she loved him. Despite his precarious situation, Logan was thrilled. Camille loved him.

"I can see I'm going to have to gag you, Logan." Hyde said, reaching behind him to a nearby cart. He retrieved a gag and expertly tied it around Logan's head, effectively making him unable to talk. "And Camille, I wouldn't hang up like Logan wants. If you do, I will be forced to remove a body part from young Mr. Mitchell. What should it be? A finger? A toe? His pecker? Would that make you sad if I cut off his pecker? You like his pecker, don't you, Camille?"

Logan eyed the other man angrily as he talked to Camille. He wanted nothing more than to get free and kick the guy's ass for the way he was speaking to her.

"Want to see your girlfriend?" Hyde smirked down at him as he reached for a TV remote and pointed it at the TV on the wall. Logan watched the screen, his confusion turning to shock as the monitor came on, showing Camille standing in her living room, telephone to her ear, looking pale.

The bastard had bugged her apartment.

"We can see you Camille." Hyde said giddily. "Smile for Logan."

"You can what?" Camille said and Logan watched her look around the room, as if searching for a camera.

"We can see you. That's a lovely pink top you're wearing. And those jeans make your ass look amazing."

Camille's head whipped around even faster as she searched in vain for the camera, suddenly feeling completely exposed. Logan could tell from the angle of the picture that the camera was somewhere in the hallway, facing the living room. Probably next to her smoke alarm, where she wouldn't notice it.

"Now, it's time to get down to business." Hyde said, suddenly impatient. "You both have been bad and Logan will need to be punished. Because you are not here, Camille, you can listen to him suffer and know it's because of you. If you hang up, he will be punished even more. Do you understand?"

Logan watched her sit down on her couch, looking thoroughly defeated. "Yes." She answered.

"Do you understand, Logan? Oh wait, you're gagged. I'll assume you understand that this is all Camille's fault."

Logan shook his head from side to side as he glared at the other man. Hyde ignored him.

"Camille, you cannot see us so I will have to explain to you what is happening. As I said earlier, I have Logan strapped naked to my table. He looks scared."

Logan glared even more as he tried to keep his fear from showing. He watched Hyde bring out the small box he'd retrieved from the wall earlier, though he had no idea what it was. Hyde opened the box and began removing items. When Logan saw the electrodes, he began to struggle violently against his bonds.

He knew what those were used for.

This was bad.

Hyde merely gave him an amused glance as he continued to empty the contents from his box. "What Logan is seeing and obviously reacting to is the small box I've put in front of him." He told Camille over the phone. "It contains electrodes which I will now attach to various locations on his body. The other ends of the electrodes connect to my box, which contains a small battery, a plug and a button. When everything is connected, I merely have to touch the button and Mr. Mitchell will receive an electric shock through the electrodes. Do stop struggling Logan, you will only tire yourself out."

Logan ignored him, still struggling against the bonds that held him to the table. Electric shock torture was bad. No way he wanted to find out just how bad it was. On the screen Camille looked sick.

"You know," Hyde said as he casually began placing electrodes to Logan's body, "Cats and dogs make excellent test subjects for procedures like this. Did you realize that a cat's scream sounds very much like a human's? So does a rabbit. Or that a Guinea Pig will die after only 30 seconds of continuous shock? Dogs last the longest." He rambled on while Logan struggled, completely oblivious to Logan's efforts to escape. When he was done, ten electrodes were positioned strategically on Logan's body and he was freaking out. Logan ceased his struggles as he tried to control his breathing, watching Hyde attach the other end of the electrodes to his terrifying box.

"A quick test to make sure everything is working." Hyde said and Logan closed his eyes, hoping it wouldn't be too bad.

Hyde turned his switch.

It was so much worse than bad.

Logan screamed into the gag as excruciating pain consumed every nerve ending in his body. The two-hundred-volt shock was over in seconds, leaving Logan panting heavily as he struggled to catch his breath.

Hyde looked like he was on the verge of ecstasy, he was so happy. "You scream so perfectly." He said, his voice so full of awe that Logan almost gagged. Over the speaker, Camille choked back a sob. Logan's eyes moved to the TV screen, where he watched Camille remove her hands from her ears.

"Don't you just love the sound of Logan's screams, Camille?" Hyde asked. On the screen, Camille shook her head. "Don't cover your ears next time or I'll shock him longer."

Logan didn't think he could handle a longer shock. He hadn't handled the last one all that impressively. Tightening his resolve, he bit into the gag and vowed to remain silent so that Camille wouldn't have to listen to his pain.

He could do that for her, at least.

"Ready?"

Hyde pressed the button again and despite his vow only seconds earlier, Logan couldn't suppress the scream that was ripped from him while electricity coursed through his body. The agony completely overwhelmed him. His body was on fire. He was sure of it. Seconds later, the electricity stopped and Logan fell back on table, breathing heavily.

"You can end this pretty girl." Hyde said. "You can end his suffering."

Logan struggled against the gag, trying to shout out to Camille.

Hyde took the phone away from his mouth and frowned at Logan. "Don't make me shock you again." He said chidingly.

He ignored the older man and pulled at his bonds, trying to free his arms.

Hyde merely shook his head and hit the button again, shocking Logan again. He screamed as Hyde returned to his conversation with Camille.

Hyde stopped the current moments later and Logan groaned his relief even as he tried to follow the conversation taking place on the phone.

"I must see you." Hyde said breathlessly. Up on the screen, Camille was standing in her living room, looking uncertain.

See her? What did he mean?

"Take off your clothes."

What? NO!

Logan's heart stopped. This was worse than electric shock. Way worse. He grunted into the gag again, hoping Camille would hear him.

Camille looked shocked on the screen. Her head spun around to face the camera, her eyes searching.

Good girl. Logan thought. Find the camera.

Logan couldn't quite make out what she was saying, his ears were buzzing from the electric shocks, but Hyde wasn't happy with her answer.

"Now, Camille. Or I'll light Logan up like a Christmas tree."

Logan's eyes widened as he turned to stare up at Hyde. That didn't sound good.

Camille was nodding on the screen.

No, Camille. Logan silently pleaded. Don't do what he wants.

She was taking off her belt.

Shit, no.

She hesitated. Maybe she wouldn't do it.

Another shock and Logan screamed, making Camille flinch on screen. It ended and Logan panted heavily against the gag, wishing he'd been able to suppress his cry.

Her hand moved to the button of her pants.

Hyde' hand moved to the button of his own pants.

Almost in unison, their pants came down, hers pooling on the floor, his down to his knees. She stood in her panties while he freed himself from his briefs, groaning as he stared up at the screen.

Logan averted his eyes, refusing to watch the pervert fondle himself while he ogled Camille. A quick, hard slap to his face regained his attention.

"Watch." Hyde moaned, his eyes half closed.

Logan shook his head no.

Another slap, stinging his cheek, making tears come to his eyes.

"Watch me."

His hand moved leisurely up and down his length while he panted into the phone, his eyes glued to the TV on the wall.

Logan did his best to look anywhere but the TV screen or the man next to him, playing with himself.

He didn't want Camille to do this. He wished she'd destroyed the phone when he'd shouted out to her at the start of the call.

He wished she'd stop.

He wished she wasn't doing this for him.

Next to him, Hyde groaned.

Detective Morris walked through the apartment that had belonged to his partner, Detective Simmons, searching for clues. Searching for anything that could lead him to Simmons and the boy, Logan.

He had to find them.

Morris battled a pounding headache as he meticulously searched his former friend's desk. How could a man he thought of as a brother deceive him so completely?

He couldn't believe it. And now a young man was suffering because of his stupidity.

Morris cursed as he finished searching the desk. Nothing. He'd found nothing. No computer. No receipts. Nothing.

Not that he expected Hyde to leave easy clues for him. He was a trained detective. He wouldn't be that stupid.

Damn it.

Morris wandered away from the desk and walked through the sparse living room, noting nothing of importance. A TV. A couch. A chair. That was it. As he walked around, he idly realized that he'd never been in the apartment before.

Morris had never thought about it before. It was odd to work so closely with someone and not be invited into their home.

Simmons had been to his home numerous times.

Hmmm.

Morris walked into the first bedroom he encountered and stopped up short. The room was decorated in race cars and appeared to belong to a young boy.

Odd.

Simmons had no children.

Why would a bedroom be decorated for a young child?

Aside from a bed, some books and a few toys, there was nothing else in the room. Morris quickly dismissed the room as unimportant, however unusual, and headed for the next room. This one definitely belonged to Simmons. Neat and orderly, everything was in its place. That was exactly how his partner operated. With precision and care. A place for everything and everything in its place. The closet contained uniforms, tac vests, pressed jeans and t shirts. All belonging to Simmons.

Morris meticulously searched the room, finding nothing to lead him to Simmons or the boy. He sighed as he walked into the hallway, running his hand through his thinning hair. As he entered the next bedroom, he felt his stomach drop.

Holy shit, what the hell was this?

The room was a mess. Papers covered the floor, strewn about with little care. Morris bent down and picked one up, not surprised to find an article about Logan Mitchell, printed off of Google. Magazine photos of the boy also littered the floor, discarded with little care. A newspaper sat on the equally littered desk, revealing the article about the last victim, the girl at the bar.

Someone had drawn a mustache on her.

And written 'whore' next to her head.

The computer was on the floor, broken into small pieces with a baseball bat sitting next to it. Whoever lived in this room had destroyed it. Probably to keep him from seeing what it contained.

Shit.

A TV hung on the wall, directly across from the small bed. Morris saw a remote sitting on the bed and absently picked it up, powering on the TV.

What he saw stopped his heart.

It wasn't a TV. It was a monitor. Picking up a transmission.

Of the girl.

In her apartment.

Morris quickly turned up the volume so he could hear what was going on. He wondered if it was a live feed. The sky outside the girl's window was darkening, like it was outside the bedroom window.

It was a live feed.

Oh shit.

The girl was standing in the middle of her apartment, holding a cell phone to her ear. She looked pale and scared. Morris moved closer to the TV, taking in what details he could. The camera was most likely in her hallway, in the ceiling, judging by the angle.

Camille screamed into the phone, her voice pleading.

Morris knew immediately who she was talking to. It was Simmons. And the conversation wasn't good.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the station, asking the tech on duty to hurry his ass up and join him in Simmons' apartment so they could trace the transmission. The tech said he'd be there in ten minutes.

Morris hoped that was soon enough. He watched the girl argue with the person on the other end of the phone, her eyes swollen from crying.

He dialed the number of the blond friend, Kendall, the only number he had. Someone had to go to that apartment and help the girl. Kendall answered on the second ring.

"Detective Morris?"

"Listen kid." Morris said quickly. "Something is going on in Camille's apartment. I think Simmons has her on the phone, I've got a live feed coming from her apartment and I can see what's happening."

"What?"

"Shut up and listen. You need to go to her apartment and stop her from doing anything stupid. I'm going to try to trace the transmission from here."

Blessedly, the kid caught on fast.

"I'm on it." He hung up and so did Morris, his jaw dropping as he watched the girl remove her belt.

What the hell was going on?

Shit. She was unbuttoning her pants.

Geez, this was going R Rated in a matter of seconds.

Damn that perverted freak partner of his. What the hell was he up to?

Come on kid. Morris urged. Get to that girl's apartment and stop her.

And where the hell was that damned computer tech?

Camille struggled to breathe as she listened to the horrible sounds on the other end of the phone.

Logan.

Her Logan.

In so much pain. All because of her.

Tears ran down her face as she stood, paralyzed, her eyes staring unfocused at the wall in front of her.

The sounds on the other end of the phone consumed her. Her entire world shrunk down until it was just her and the sounds of Logan's torment.

And him. The psycho. Talking quietly over the screams.

"You can end this, pretty girl." He was saying, his voice deceptively soft. "You can end his suffering."

"Please." Camille struggled to get that one word out and it sounded strained to her over sensitive ears. Her voice broke at the end of the word, finishing in a sob.

"I want to see you." Hyde said, still speaking softly so that she could hear the screams.

Camille swallowed slowly, though her mouth was dry. She continued to stare at the wall, blocking all external elements out. She was focused on Logan. Screaming so loudly.

"I can't come to you." She replied sadly, her heart breaking with each word.

"I must see you." The man said again. "I can see you right now. You are so hot."

Camille didn't reply. What could she say to that. She strained to hear Logan, who had gone mercifully quiet on the other end. She prayed he was okay.

"He's not doing so great." The man answered her unspoken question, unnerving her. "It wouldn't do him any good if I shocked him again."

"Don't hurt him anymore." Camille pleaded, her eyes swollen from crying. "Leave him alone."

"Let's negotiate." He said, his voice sickeningly sweet sounding. "You help him by helping me."

Camille closed her swollen eyes. "Help you with what?"

"I want to see you."

"I don't know what that means!" Camille screamed suddenly, surprising even herself with the outburst.

Hyde seemed undisturbed. "Turn around and face the hallway. Take off your clothes."

Camille's head turned towards the dark hallway, where the camera must be hidden. Her eyes searched the walls, the ceiling, looking for signs of tampering.

Where is it? She wondered idly while she thought about his order. Take off her clothes?

Logan screamed suddenly on the other end of the phone, the sound shattering her thoughts as new tears fell from her eyes. "No!" She screamed into the receiver.

The screaming stopped just as suddenly as it'd started.

"You must enjoy hurting him." Hyde said venomously. "You must enjoy hearing his pain."

"No." Camille shook her head, knowing he could see her. "No. I don't want him hurt anymore."

"Take. Off. Your. Clothes." He repeated the words slowly, forcefully.

Still she hesitated. Could she do that?"

"You won't help him, then?"

Slowly she nodded, as if convincing herself. She could do this. She had to do this. For Logan.

"Ok." She answered softly, trying to ignore the high pitched giggle that followed her agreement. Bile rose in her throat as she thought about the pervert on the other end of the phone, watching her. Thinking about her. Hurting Logan because of her. Doing other things to Logan? She hoped not, hoped he hadn't defiled him in that way. Not her strong, sweet, protective Logan.

"Now, Camille. Or I'll light Logan up like a Christmas tree."

Oh god.

"He can't talk, but his eyes are pleading with me to stop. I don't think he likes the idea of another shock. Should I stop?" Another giggle, making the hairs on her arms stand up. So creepy.

Camille paused with uncertainty. Only Logan had ever seen her without clothing. Only him. Her skin felt cold and clammy as she stood awkwardly in her living room, trying to work up the nerve to comply with his demand.

"Do it slowly." The man breathed in her ear, making her cringe. "So slowly."

Her hand strayed down to her jeans, working slowly on her belt. She pulled it off before she could lose her nerve.

The man continued to breathe heavily in her ear.

She didn't know what to do next. She kicked off her shoes. Shoes were safe. Next came her socks.

His breathing grew heavier. He was almost panting.

It was disgusting and made her want to vomit.

Logan was still quiet in the background. At least he wasn't being hurt.

"Pants." Hyde said huskily, desire very evident in his strained voice.

Pants.

Camille looked down. She could do this. She had to do this.

She slowly unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down, doing her best to ignore the man on the other end of the phone. His breathing hitched as her pants moved down, pooling around her feet. She stepped out of them and kicked them away.

"So creamy." He whispered and Camille shuddered, deciding not to interpret his comment. She didn't want to know.

"Now your shirt." A groan followed the command and a drawn out yessssssss. Even alone in her apartment, Camille felt extremely vulnerable, knowing that he was watching her. She didn't feel safe. It was completely unnerving.

But Logan was quiet.

Her hand moved down and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She took a deep breath.

This was for Logan.

The panting in her ear grew even more ragged.

She slowly pulled her arm up, her shirt lifting up to expose her stomach. Camille closed her eyes and pulled the shirt completely off, suddenly feeling cold. Goose bumps appeared on her bare skin as she stood awkwardly in the middle of her apartment, half naked. Only her bra and panties remained. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying desperately to prevent his eyes from seeing her. He tsked in her ear even as he continued to groan.

"Don't cover yourself up or Logan will suffer."

Her arms dropped quickly to her side.

"Good girl." Another groan. What was he doing? She decided she didn't want to know. She thought instead of Logan. Was he ok? What was he thinking? Could he see her too? She allowed a small half smile to grace her face as she looked to where she thought the camera was. Maybe it would give him strength. She hoped so.

"The bra. Now. I want to see your breasts."

Camille closed her eyes again, blocking out the world. Her hand moved to her back, to the clasp of her bra. She took a deep breath.

This was for Logan.

Kendall raced up the stairs, Carlos and James hot on his heels. He slammed into the door of Camille's floor, rushing out into the deserted hallway. They barreled through the corridor, rounding the corner and came up to Camille's door. Kendall tried the door, only to find it locked. He pounded his fist into the closed door in frustration.

"Camille!" He screamed as he continued to pound on the door. "Open the door!"

"I've got this." Carlos said, slapping his helmet. He took off down the hallway, and then came running back, slamming his body into the door. The frame splintered from the shock as the lock gave way. Kendall shot his friend a grateful look and tore into the room, his eyes searching for Camille. He stopped suddenly, his friends crashing into his back as he stared at her.

She was standing in the middle of the living room, facing the hallway. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her face was deathly pale as her left hand held her cell phone to her ear so tightly her knuckles were bleach white.

Her other hand was reaching around her back. Towards the clasp to her bra. Her only clothing, besides the small white cotton panties she was wearing.

What the hell?

"Camille! Stop!" Kendall ordered her, only to be completely ignored. He wasn't even sure she'd heard him, she seemed to be in her own world. James rushed past him, grabbing a blanket from the couch and quickly wrapping it around her half naked form. That seemed to snap her out of her coma and she reacted with a violent desperation that shocked the three boys.

"NO!" She screamed, keeping the phone glued to her ear. "LOGAN! You don't understand!" She screamed at James, who kept his arms wrapped around her as she struggled. "I have to do this! LOGAN! Please!" Her voice cracked as she began to sob, still struggling against the much stronger James.

Kendall moved to her side and grabbed the phone from her hand, putting it to his ear. A chilling voice greeted him.

"You shouldn't interfere." The voice told him, in a dangerously soft tone. "This isn't your business, blondie."

Camille's wild eyes turned to him and Kendall was momentarily stunned by the quiet desperation shining in her brown orbs.

Holy Shit. This was bad.

He steeled his nerves, telling himself he needed to be strong.

For Logan.

This is what Logan would want.

But how could he do this to his best friend?

He made his voice hard. "You made it my business when you threatened my friends." His eyes searched the dark hallway, trying to locate the camera. He hoped there was only the one. A small dark spot near Camille's smoke alarm caught his attention and he motioned to Carlos, pointing it out. The other boy acted quickly, grabbing chair to reach the newly discovered camera.

"You found my camera." Hyde hissed angrily and Kendall smirked, despite his fear for his friend.

"Listen shit face." Kendall said, and Camille gasped, ceasing her struggles. She shot him a pleading look, which he tried to ignore. "We're taking Camille with us and you'll never touch her. Do you hear me? You'll never ever lay a hand on her."

"Is that so?"

Kendall nodded. "This ends now."

"You'll sacrifice your friend?"

Kendall paused. Would he? Yes. Because he'd promised Logan. He only hoped his friend would forgive him.

"We'll find him." Kendall promised the other man, his voice chillingly cold. "And you can bet we'll find you."

"I hope you do." The other man responded. "I would love a chance to play with you and your friends too. Do you scream as well as Logan does? I bet the small Latino boy knows how to scream. And your sister? How about her? Can she scream?"

"You son of a bitch!" Kendall screamed into the phone. "We will find you and when we do, we'll kill you! Do you hear me, psycho? We will kill you!"

"Kendall!" Camille screamed at him, resuming her struggles against James' restraining arms. "No! You don't know what you're doing!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Kendall said, both to her and the creep on the phone. "You'll never be able to talk to Camille again. I'm making sure of it right now."

"Do that," the man said quickly, making him pause. "And Logan will suffer. He'll wish he was dead and it will be because of you."

Kendall hardened his resolve, knowing what he had to do. "It will be because of you and Logan can take it. He knows we'll find him. Hang on buddy." He said to his friend, hoping he could hear him. "We'll find you. Don't let him break you."

"Boy!" Hyde screamed as Kendall cut the connection and dropped the phone to the floor.

"No! Kendall please!" Camille sobbed, trying to get away from James. "Don't!"

Kendall lifted his foot and let it slam down on the phone, shattering it into pieces. Camille screamed.

"LOGAN! No! Please don't hurt him!" She cried, turning her face towards the camera. "Please! Don't hurt him anymore! LOGAN!"

Kendall turned away from her, giving his full attention to the small camera that Carlos was now holding. "We'll find you." He said again, knowing the other man could hear him. "We'll find you." He flipped his middle finger at the camera, allowing a smirk to grace his face. His last moment of defiance to the crazy asshole. He hoped it would give Logan strength. He gave a quick nod to Carlos, who allowed the camera to drop to the floor as he repeated Kendall's earlier actions, slamming his foot down and breaking the electronic device into tiny pieces.

It was done.

Logan was on his own.

Camille stood against James, her eyes wide with uncomprehending fear. "You…" she stammered, "What have you done?" She slumped down on the ground as James released her, holding her head in her hands. Kendall sank to his knees next to her, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. As the adrenaline left his body, he felt as if he'd just been hit by a bus.

He's my best friend.

What have I done?

James draped the blanket back over Camille and then he sat down heavily on the couch, running his hands through his hair, looking lost. Carlos stood in the hallway, unable to move. Now that the situation was over, they all felt drained.

Lost.

Overwhelmed with a deep sadness and regret that none of them felt equipped to handle.

Kendall lifted his head and fixed his eyes on Camille. "I did what I promised him I would do." That was all he could say in answer to her question. "What we all promised him we would do."

She nodded as tears streamed down her face, hugging the blanket tightly around herself. Carlos walked over and sat down next to her, pulling her into a comforting hug. Kendall's phone suddenly rang and they all jumped, startled out of their silent revelry.

"Hello?"

"Kendall? It's Detective Morris."

"Please tell me you got something, Detective." Kendall said, recognizing the sound of pleading in his voice. What the hell, he didn't care.

Detective Morris sighed and Kendall knew his answer. "We weren't able to trace the transmission, Kendall. I'm sorry."

Kendall nodded, blinking back tears of his own. He lowered the phone, disconnecting the call without another word.

What had he done?

"I did what I promised him I would do." He whispered again, trying to reassure himself. "I did what he told me to do."

He just hoped Logan would understand and forgive him for following his wishes.

He hoped he'd see Logan again to find out.

Logan stared at the TV screen, allowing a small triumphant smile to grace his face as Kendall smashed the phone and flipped off the camera.

Good for you. He thought, refusing to look at the man next to him. He was incredibly grateful to his friends, both for protecting Camille and for ensuring that the psycho couldn't reach her anymore. Logan refused to be used as a tool to torture her. He couldn't stand the thought of causing her pain in any way. Hyde hurled the phone to the ground in disgust and ripped the gag from Logan's mouth.

"Your friend thinks he's so smart." He growled menacingly, obviously pissed off.

"He is." Logan replied, shocked that his voice sounded so rough. From the screaming. He wished he had some water. He seriously doubted Hyde would give him any. His eyes moved on their own, up to Hyde, and he flinched when he saw the evil gleam in the other man's eyes.

Oh shit.

He was in some serious trouble now.

"A dog once lasted almost a minute of electric shock before passing out." Hyde said quietly, lost in thought. His fingers danced absently over the control on the box and Logan began to panic. "That's the longest I've ever seen."

Logan's eyes widened.

A full minute. A full mother fucking minute.

He'd only been shocked for brief periods of time so far, mere seconds, and he already thought he'd rather die than experience it again. His mouth was so dry, he couldn't swallow the fear that was building within him.

A cold, calculating sneer appeared on the man's face and Logan's heart sunk.

Shit shit shit.

"How long can you last? Let's find out."

"No…no no…no….no need." Logan stammered. "Not a minute." He was begging, but he didn't care. He just didn't freakin care anymore. He wouldn't last a minute. He would die. He was going to die, in this basement, with this perverted freak. Naked and fried.

"You won't die." Hyde whispered hotly in his ear, answering his unspoken fear. "I won't let you. I want to play with you more."

Logan flinched away, pulling at the shackles around his wrists. He had to get out. He had to get free.

A fucking minute. No way. Please, no way.

"Scream for me." Hyde hissed, his finger hovering over the button.

Logan stopped struggling and closed his eyes, mentally preparing, taking deep breaths.

When Hyde hit the button again, he got his wish. Logan screamed.

But unlike the previous shocks, Hyde didn't stop. He allowed the shock to continue, while he looked on with a giddy smile.

And Logan continued to scream. Nothing had ever hurt as much as this did. The pain consumed him as his body convulsed painfully, electric current coursing through him to reach every nerve ending.

Pass out! Please pass out! His mind cried as he screamed. Ever the overachiever, Logan didn't pass out. He was sure his body was on fire. He was burning up. He clenched his jaw, trying to stop the horrible sound coming from his mouth, so he wouldn't have to hear it anymore, but the scream won out, forcing itself brutally from him.

An eternity passed…a lifetime to Logan…and then, blessedly, Hyde hit the button and the electric current stopped. Logan's body continued to convulse painfully as he sucked in large gulps of air, well aware of the large tears streaming down his face.

He was going to be sick. He was so nauseous, he was sure he would puke. The room was spinning. He couldn't breathe…couldn't get enough air. Every muscle in his body suddenly cramped up, creating a new kind of pain and he gritted his teeth together, to suppress a groan.

The man hovered over him, eyeing him with a new appreciation. "A full minute and you didn't pass out. I'm impressed."

Logan didn't respond. He couldn't. His jaw was clamped shut against the pain in his muscles. He'd spit on the creep, but his mouth was dryer than any desert. He sincerely hoped he didn't puke.

A shrewd look appeared on the face above him. "Can you go two minutes?"

Logan allowed a small sob to escape. No. Please no.

Hyde just giggled as he pressed the button again and this time, by some miracle, Logan passed out almost immediately.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I hope this was okay and worth the wait. Please review and let me know what you thought Thanks! (Question – is this story still creepy or have I lost the creep effect? I just feel like it was pretty creepy at the beginning and now its just eh.)**

***Chapter 12*: Chapter 12**

**A/N: Soooo…fair warning to any and all readers…this story contains adult content…swearing…torture…rape…all kinds of kinky, lewd conduct. You've been warned. Please do not read if this offends you. And I don't own BTR.**

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Logan was in hell.

No. Correction. This was worse than hell.

He clamped his jaw shut as another blow from the three-pronged whip fell across his back, opening a new cut across his already abused skin.

This was how he'd woken up.

The first lash from the whip had ripped him from blissful unconsciousness and he'd screamed out in surprise and confusion, only to find himself hanging from the ceiling by his arms in the dark, dimly lit and creepy as hell room.

Logan was in some deep shit.

Hyde, in apparent euphoria since brutally waking him up, continued his high pitched giggle as another blow ripped into Logan's flesh and he couldn't quite contain the agonized moan that escaped.

"That's it!" Hyde squealed behind him. "The Voices love when you moan! Cry for them!"

"Shut." Logan flinched as a lighter blow fell across his previously unabused shoulders, leaving only a welt. "Up." He finished, panting through the pain.

Hyde was suddenly next his face, too close and Logan recoiled as hot breath whispered into his ear. "Cry and they may leave you alone, sweet boy. We don't want to damage your appearance too much, do we?"

Logan ignored him. This wasn't the first time since he'd woken up that Hyde had told him to cry. He was playing with him. Trying to sound as if it was the other voices in his head that wanted Logan to bleed. Not him. He only wanted Logan for…well, for 'other' reasons that Logan refused to think about. He'd rather deal with the blood thirsty voices.

Hyde growled, angry at being ignored, and he retreated behind Logan, laying a series of hits down Logan's back with a new fury that even Logan couldn't withstand quietly. He arched his back, trying in vain to get away from the agonizing hits as a scream ripped from his throat.

The blows stopped and Hyde suddenly appeared in front of Logan again, staring intently into Logan's tear filled eyes.

"Did that hurt?" The question was almost childlike which made it all the more creepy.

Logan continued to ignore him, concentrating instead on keeping his face stoic. He refused to give Hyde the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in.

"You look cold." The childlike voice continued, Hyde's face screwed up into a look of confusion. "You should wear clothes. You're naked." Hyde giggled.

Logan glared at him. "You took my clothes." He reminded the other man coldly.

"Oh yes." Hyde said. "That's right. I forgot." He looked thoughtful. "He wants to know if it hurt, when he hit you. Did you like the whip? I never did. It always hurt."

Logan's shoulders burned, throbbing in time with the wounds on his back. Even breathing was pure agony. "Who..wants to…know?" He panted out, willing the pain to cease. Maybe if he was lucky he would pass out again. Unconsciousness had been so nice.

"The one who likes to hurt people." The other man said in his high pitched, innocently creepy voice. "He always wants to hurt people."

This was someone knew, then. "Who are you?"

A goofy grin appeared on the older man's face, so completely out of character with the situation that Logan might have found it funny if he wasn't currently trying not to cry like a baby from the pain.

"I'm Daniel. I'm ten." Daniel frowned. "You're crying."

A single tear had escaped, running slowly down Logan's cheek. "Daniel, I'm not feeling so hot right now." Logan told him. "Do you think you could get me down from here?"

Daniel paled and backed away from Logan quickly. "No. No no no! He would kill me like he did Simmons! I don't want to die like that!"

"He killed Simmons?" Logan asked, confused by the man's actions.

"For letting you escape. The man is in charge now and we do what he says or he will kill us." Daniel stammered. "I'm only supposed to talk to you…to find out if it hurt when he hit you. The man likes to know so he can improve next time. He always made me tell him how much it hurt when he hit me."

Wait…what?

This was getting weird.

Logan tried to get past the pain, to clear his mind so that he could follow the conversation.

"This man…he hurt you?" Logan asked, feeling completely ridiculous talking to the new personality as if he were an entirely different person.

Daniel nodded. "He liked to practice on me, because I would cry. He liked that and the others did too. I'm weak."

Logan shook his head, hissing as the action made his back sting even more. "You're not weak, Daniel. I bet you're the strongest of them all. You can get me down and I'll help you fight them. You can be in charge."

Daniel simply shrugged and walked behind Logan, cruelly slapping the abused flesh with his hand and causing Logan to cry out in renewed pain. "What was that for!" He screamed, the tears running down his face unchecked.

"He told me to do it." Daniel said simply, returning to stand in front of Logan. "He wants you to quit trying to escape and he says if you try to escape, he will cut off your entire leg and make you eat it. That sounds gross."

Logan thought it sounded completely insane, to hear this childlike voice talk to him about cutting off his leg and feeding it to him. He hung his head to block out the man in front of him. A hard slap made his cheek burn and he quickly raised his head to look at Daniel.

"He wants you to look at me." Daniel said simply. "He wants to know, on a scale of one to ten, how much pain you are in right now."

Logan's eyes widened. "You can't be serious." Another hard slap to his cheek and his eyes watered.

"He's always serious. Answer him or he will punish me and I will do the same to you."

"You're crazy." Logan shot back. "I'm not playing your game. You can tell yourself to piss off and leave me the hell alone!"

Daniel looked thoughtful. "He told the others that your girlfriend is very pretty and he can't wait to…you know…do grown up stuff with her." Daniel grimaced, as if the thought repulsed him. "He wants to do grown up stuff with you too."

Logan held his breath as Daniel ventured too close, obviously preoccupied with thoughts of 'grown up' stuff. The other man was looking idly around the dark room as he talked in his childlike voice.

"What does grown up stuff mean?" Daniel asked. "Is that when he gets naked, like you are right now?"

Logan waited until the man took one last step towards him while he rambled, unaware of his surroundings. Daniel's head snapped up as if by an unheard warning a split second before Logan acted, kicking up at him and connecting solidly with the other man's nose. A sickening CRACK rang out through the desolate room and Daniel began to scream, holding his nose as he jumped up and down while he stared down at the blood collecting on the floor.

"You hit me! Just like he does!" Daniel wailed, tears running down his comically childlike face. "You hit me, you asshole!"

Logan kicked out again, hitting him in the chest and propelling him backwards into the hard cement wall. Daniel's head hit the wall with a thud and the man fell bonelessly to the floor, landing in a heap. Logan held his breath as he watched the man, waiting for him to get up.

He didn't.

Frantically Logan began to struggle against the tight bonds around his wrists, pulling and twisting to try and slip his hands from the ropes. He grimaced as the ropes tore into the soft skin at his wrists, but grit his teeth and kept pulling, trying his best to ignore the droplets of blood that began to run down his extended arms.

He had to hurry.

The freak could wake up at any moment.

A groan from the floor made Logan's heart stop beating for a split second as he ceased his struggles and stared down at the man.

Shit! Shit shit shit! He was waking up! Logan tore his eyes away from the waking figure and increased his efforts to free his hands. Blood poured freely down his arms as the ropes continued to cut into the now raw skin around his hands. Adrenaline dulled the pain and Logan welcomed the blood, using it as a lubricant to free his right hand. He smiled in triumph, momentarily forgetting his dire predicament as he celebrated his small victory. His right hand was free. One more and at least he would stand a fighting chance against the psycho. Logan pulled even harder on his left hand, using his free hand to pull the other hand free. It slipped free of the rope and he spun around, his eyes going immediately to the spot where Daniel had fallen.

He stared at the spot.

The empty spot.

Daniel…or whoever he was now…was gone.

Logan spun around, his wide eyes searching the shadows, looking for his tormentor. He had to be in the room somewhere. He spotted a baseball bat sitting against the wall and he suppressed a shudder at the thought of what that could be used for before he grabbed it, holding it out in front of him as the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Oh shit.

"I know you're here somewhere!" Logan yelled, spinning around to cover the entire room with his gaze. Every shadow moved, mocking him, and he felt the beginnings of a paralyzing fear take hold of him. Logan shook his head, trying to dispel the terror building in him. He had to focus. He had to defend himself. And he had to get the hell out of that basement.

An eerie giggle began from across the room, followed by a scraping sound, like metal on concrete. The sound sent shivers down Logan's spine and goose bumps quickly formed on his bare skin. He backed up slowly, stopping when his injured back came into contact with the cold damp wall. Now the crazy guy wouldn't be able to sneak up on him. Logan held the bat up high, ready for anything as he tried to find the man. The laugh told him that he wasn't dealing with Daniel anymore. The laugh had been sinister…not childlike.

The man was back in charge.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Logan screamed into the darkness. "Come out and fight!"

"So afraid…you're sooo afraid." Came the singsong reply. Logan's head turned in that direction, still searching for the other man.

"The things he'll do are bad." The voice was childish again as Daniel returned for a moment. "And you are a bad man, so you deserve them! He'll cut you and burn you and make you beg!"

Logan shuddered. "He's the bad man, Daniel." He tried, hoping the other personality would see reason. "He brought me here!"

"And you're never leaving!" The man growled, suddenly appearing directly in front of him. Logan swung out blindly with the bat, connecting with the older man's shoulder. Hyde just smiled back at him, seemingly unfazed by the hit. He grabbed the end of the bat with one hand and brought the other hand quickly up to Logan's neck, catching him off guard with the Taser he'd had hidden in his palm.

Logan screamed as electric current flowed through his body with excruciating speed, igniting every nerve ending in blinding fire. Unable to get away, Logan's body sagged to the ground as Hyde continued to hold the Taser against his skin, cackling while Logan screamed in agony. When he finally removed the Taser, Logan slumped against the cold cement floor in a heap, his limbs refusing to obey his commands. Footsteps on the hard cement told Logan that Hyde was walking away from him and seconds later the lights snapped back on. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to breathe, his eyes locked on Hyde's face and the lunatic walked back towards him.

The look on the other man's face told Logan all he needed to know…Hyde was pissed off. And Logan was in trouble.

"I was going to let you rest." The older man said softly. "I was going to reward you. But you don't deserve rewards. You deserve punishment."

Logan continued to take deep breaths, becoming quickly aware of the building agony in his back. He wanted to turn over, to alleviate the burning pain, but he couldn't move.

"Hurts, doesn't it." Hyde sneered, clearly enjoying the pain etched on Logan's pale face. "Let's make it hurt some more."

He reached down and grabbed Logan's bloodied wrists, dragging him back across the dirty floor, stopping in front of the single wooden chair. Logan's doctor brain reminded him that dirt from the floor was getting into the wounds on his back, increasing the risk of infection. Logan told it to shut the hell up. Infection or not, he was seriously fucked.

So close. If only he'd gotten away.

But he was still here.

Hyde lifted Logan as though he were a child and slammed him brutally down onto the chair, causing Logan to hiss in pain as his back connected with the unyielding wood. Working with unbelievable speed, Hyde secured Logan's wrists and ankles in the chair restraints, trapping him once more.

Once he had Logan secured, Hyde's facial expression changed. Gone was the psychotic glare, to be replaced with the expression of a scared child.

Logan watched the other man with a building trepidation. Daniel was back.

"I…I…didn't mean…please don't be mad…" Daniel stammered nervously, his eyes darting around the dim room. He backed up slowly, wrapping his arms protectively around himself.

"Daniel?" Logan said softly, trying to ignore the horrendous pain in his back.

"Shut up!" Daniel screamed, still looking around wildly. "Do you want him to find me? You are a bad man! This is your fault!"

"Daniel," Logan tried again, "help me get lose and I can save you. I'll take you away from here."

"This is your fault!" Daniel sobbed. "He'll hurt me because of you!"

This was weird. Watching the grown man behave like a scared child, only minutes after whipping the crap out of him, was blowing Logan's mind. He almost thought he was becoming delusional…

"I'm sorry!" Daniel wailed, backing up against the cement wall. "Please don't hurt me!"

A pause, as if the man was listening to someone and then Daniel paled. "Burned?" He whispered. "But I don't like being burned."

"Daniel?"

"SHUT UP!" The man screamed. "I'll do the same to you! You'll see how it feels!" He walked slowly to the other side of the room, to the shelf with the boxes, and plucked one down, holding it out in front of him with wide, fearful eyes. "The burning box." He was whispering again, obviously deeply afraid of the box. "Why does he like to burn me?" He opened the box, pulling out a single cigar and a lighter.

Logan didn't need a demonstration to know what those were for.

Daniel began to hum to himself as he took the lighter and held the flame to the end of the cigar, watching it burn red. "Cigars hurt the worst." He sing-songed in his high pitched voice. "This is your fault. Your fault. All your fault. And I'll do the same to you when he's done with me."

Logan flinched, unable to turn away from the morbid scene in front of him. This was so bizarrely unreal; he couldn't fathom what was going on in the mind of the other man. Daniel held the cigar up in front of his eyes, watching it with trepidation, the fire shining off his tear filled eyes.

What the hell was he going to do?

Daniel took a deep breath, let it out in a whimper, and brutally pressed the lighted end of the cigar against the flesh of his arm, screaming as the skin burned and turned black. The stench of burning flesh filled the basement and Logan gagged, willing himself not to throw up.

"Again? But why? I didn't mean to let him get lose?" Daniel sobbed, looking over his body and slowly pulling up his shirt. The cigar pressed into the soft flesh of his stomach and Daniel screamed again, begging himself to stop, please stop, he was sorry, he didn't mean it. When he pulled the cigar away, he drew in deep, ragged breaths and stared daggers in Logan's direction.

Holy fuck, this was messed up! Logan quickly averted his eyes, trying hard not to draw attention to himself. Strapped to the chair, his hands and feet immobilized, he was completely vulnerable and the other guy was completely bat shit crazy.

"Thank you." Daniel finally said, his voice quiet. "Thank you for punishing me. I will not let it happen again." His head snapped up, meeting Logan's gaze with a twisted sneer. "And now it's your turn."

Logan's eyes widened as Daniel transformed into Hyde in a matter of seconds. The older man raked him over with unveiled disdain. "Daniel is such a pussy. Always crying and screaming when I burn him. Fucking wuss."

He stalked over to Logan, who was trying his hardest not to cringe. The cigar was still lit, the end glowing soft red in the darkened room. Hyde held it up to Logan's face, getting it just close enough for Logan to feel the stinging heat radiating off of it.

"Looks innocent, doesn't it? But Daniel says it hurts."

"If Daniel thinks that, I'm sure he's right." Logan gulped, moving his face as far away as he could.

"Do you think you'll scream when I burn you?"

Logan slowly shook his head from side to side. He had been shocked and whipped already. How bad could a few cigar burns really be?

"No? Let's see." Hyde pushed the cigar into Logan's bicep and he clenched his jaw, holding in the scream that wanted to burst out. It was bad! So freakin bad Logan didn't think he could stand it! Bile rose in his throat as smoke drifted up and away from the cigar, mixing with the stench of burned flesh to create its own putrid odor. Hyde took the cigar away seconds later, giggling when he saw the black circle that remained. He chose another spot, on Logan's upper thigh, and pressed the cigar down again and this time Logan gasped, shocked at the stinging pain. Hyde grabbed his chin and held his head steady while he stared into his teary eyes.

"Scream!"

Logan shook his head, trying to block out the pain.

"I'll burn your wanker! Would you like that?" Hyde screamed, his voice rising manically. "You'll scream for sure then!" The cigar was pulled away from Logan's skin and Hyde looked at it thoughtfully. "But I can't burn your dick, can I? I have a use for it later."

Logan looked away from the blistering welt on his thigh and gaped at Hyde, wondering just what the frick he was talking about. As the cigar pressed into his stomach, Logan decided he probably didn't want to know and to hell with it, he screamed, causing Hyde's eyes to light up with unbridled excitement at the sound.

"Perrrrfffeecctttt." He practically purred, tossing the cigar to the floor and using his foot to put it out. "Now we can move on to more pleasant things."

Logan closed his eyes and allowed his head to droop, concentrating on his breathing. It worked for pregnant women right? Breathe through the pain and all that? What a bunch of horse shit. His back was an unbearable ball of agony, he had blackened circles of charred flesh dotting his body and damn it, he was done. No amount of breathing was going to get him through this.

"Remember this?"

Logan's head snapped up when Hyde activated the TV screen and a video popped on, filling the room with voices. Horribly familiar voices.

He heard himself. And he heard Camille.

And by the sounds of it, he knew what they were doing.

The bastard had recorded them.

"You taped us?" Logan yelled out in shock. "Are you freakin kidding me right now?" Like a bad accident, he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the screen as he watched the events that had taken place the other day in Camille's apartment. Camille was taking his shirt off, gazing up at him with lust filled eyes. Logan's hands roamed freely under her shirt, his thumbs rubbing the soft skin.

"She is so beautiful." The man said, his own eyes glued to the screen as well. "And you are so perfect."

Logan grimaced at the man's words as he continued to watch, unable to do anything else. Camille's shirt was off and despite his fear, Logan still thought she as the most beautiful creature on Earth.

Oh geez! Logan could help it, his face turned red as he watched what he was doing to Camille. What had been a wonderfully private moment between the pair was now completely and horribly embarrassing and awkward for him. Camille's hands were groping at his zipper and Logan closed his eyes, unable to watch any further. Reliving those events was having an awful, yet completely normal influence on his body and he did NOT need that right now.

Think of Gustavo. Logan told himself. Gustavo in a speedo.

It wasn't working. Even though he refused to watch, the sounds of the interlude were playing loudly throughout the room and the visual in his mind was just as good as the one on the screen.

"Does this video make you horny?" Hyde asked as he made no effort to hide the pleasing strokes he was giving himself.

"You're disgusting." Logan answered, his face still beet red. "That was a private moment between Camille and me."

"Your private moment could be YouTube's next viral video." The man reminded him, still stroking himself as his eyes remained glued to the screen.

Logan paled. "You wouldn't dare."

"There are so many things I'd dare to do." Hyde told him, grunting suddenly, and then removing his hand from his pants. "I wish I had her here, to watch her with you in person. But I've brought you someone else."

"I don't even want to know what that means." Logan said, watching the other man warily. "I'm not a performing monkey and I'm not sleeping with some random girl that you've kidnapped."

Hyde narrowed his eyes. "That's what you think." He spun around angrily and stalked out of the basement, leaving Logan blessedly alone in the chilly room. Logan kept his eyes closed, wishing he could plug his ears as well. The video was obviously looped to repeat until manually stopped and he and Camille filled the room with their amorous sounds. The basement door slammed open with a bang as Hyde returned, flinging a sobbing girl roughly to the floor in front of Logan. A sobbing girl with familiar brown curls.

"Camille!" Logan shouted, staring in horror at the curly haired girl struggling to sit up. How in the hell had Hyde managed to get to Camille. The guys had promised to watch her, if something had happened to him. No way would they let him down.

The girl groaned and turned her tear stained and dirty face towards him and for a brief moment, Logan felt elated.

It wasn't Camille.

Detective Morris stifled a yawn as he sat tiredly at his desk, greeting the new day with increasing frustration. Simmons and the missing pop star were nowhere to be found. No one has seen the white van… a vehicle so common in the Los Angeles area that you couldn't drive two blocks without running into one. Simmons had chosen his vehicle so perfectly; Morris had to take a minute to truly respect his partner's level of genius.

Not a single clue had been turned up in the initial and subsequent searches of Simmons' place. His locker at the station had been almost bare, revealing nothing of interest. His personal records, emails and files were succinct and vague. Simmons was a man who obviously knew how to hide.

And he was just as obviously very good at hiding things, as Morris knew only two well. He glared at his lukewarm coffee, wishing he'd obeyed the captain and gone home for some sleep. The boy's friends and parents were calling him every few hours. The boy's outraged producer was calling every hour. The boy's extremely rich and powerful CEO was having his people call him every thirty minutes.

And he didn't even want to think about the news stations and reporters. Countless calls were streaming into the station constantly, bombarding every officer with requests for information, updates, anything they could provide.

No comment.

That was all they could tell them.

That was all they had.

Logan Mitchell was missing. Kidnapped in broad daylight by a rogue and most definitely psychotic police detective turned serial rapist and killer. It was as if the entire planet was in an uproar.

And Detective Morris was in the center of the storm.

He wished he could filter out the outside noise…the friends, producers, media and fans…and simply focus on the case for what it was…a missing persons case. A kidnapping case.

A loud sigh escaped as he put his head tiredly in his hands. This was more than a simple kidnapping case and he knew it. The boy, Logan, was a nice kid. A brave kid. An apparently well-liked kid. And Morris couldn't get over the feeling that it was his fault his partner had been able to get to him in the first place.

"Morris, go home."

Morris looked up into the concerned face of his captain and shook his head.

"I will find them." He said wearily.

"He had everyone fooled, Jon. It wasn't just you." A hand settled comfortingly on his shoulder. "He had me fooled too."

"With all due respect, Sir, he wasn't your partner." Morris said sadly. "He was mine."

The Captain sighed, recognizing a lost cause when he saw one. He smiled down at the younger man. "Get to it then, Jon. Find them." He walked away quietly, leaving the other man to his thoughts.

All he needed was one clue. One break. One person to have seen the fucking white van. They could be anywhere…could have gone in any direction after leaving the café. Hell, they could be halfway to fucking Canada by now and Morris would never know. Morris opened the file on his desk, Simmons' personnel file, and stared at it, willing some new piece of information to jump off the page and hit him square in the face.

His partner's background was tragic and Morris was surprised that he'd never heard about it before this incident. Theodore 'Ted' Simmons lost both his ten year old brother, Daniel, and his mother in a car accident when he was just twelve years old. His father, an out of work alcoholic, left him soon after the funerals, never to be heard from again. For the next two years, Simmons had spent time in and out of foster homes, never spending more than six months in each home. Morris had been shocked to read that some of the homes had been abusive, both physical and sexual in one case.

Morris shuddered. No child should ever have to suffer as Simmons had.

At the age of fourteen, Ted had been adopted by a nice elderly couple, where he'd remained until his turned eighteen. Little was recorded about his time with the couple, but Morris knew Simmons talked about them often and kindly. They had been his saving grace. When he was old enough, he enrolled in the police academy and worked his way up the ranks to detective. His career record was exemplary. His case record was spotless…until the case of the serial rapist. His one and only unsolved case.

Now Morris understood why it had remained unsolved. He closed the file. So his partner had had a rough time in his childhood, but he'd come out of it well. There was nothing in his record to give anyone concern over the state of his mental health. He'd been that good at hiding his issues all these years.

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Morris' thoughts. He sighed and looked at the clock. More than likely it was the kid's friends. Or the producer. It wasn't time for the reporters to call him again…they weren't due for another thirty minutes or so. He ran his hand through his hair, took a deep breath and put his cell phone to his ear.

"Morris."

"Detective Morris, this is Ranger Thompson, Headwaters Forest Reserve." The slight twang on the other end of the phone surprised Morris, making him sit up straighter.

"Ranger Thompson. Is there something I can help you with?" Morris asked, confused. Where the heck was Headwaters Forest Reserve?

"I think maybe I can help you." Thompson said cryptically. "I am Head Ranger of the Headwaters Forest Reserve, here in Northern California." A slight pause. "Uh, that's near Eureka, California."

"Eureka. Okay." Morris prompted, feeling his agitation build. He did not have time to deal with some backwater park ranger when he was in the middle of a high profile kidnapping investigation.

Thompson cleared his throat loudly. "So the reason I'm calling is…uh…we sorta came across a murder yesterday. An old hermit who lived down at the south end of the park. Real recluse. Never wanted anyone around. Like to keep to himself, no family to speak of. Nice guy, but kind of gruff."

So that was it. The hillbilly needed help solving a murder.

"As much as I'd love to assist you, Ranger, our caseload is pretty full right now. We'll help as much as we possibly can." Morris said diplomatically.

Thompson cleared his throat again, obviously nervous. "No, um, that's not what I mean. As I was saying, this old hermit had no family, lived out in the boonies, so to speak. We only found him because he has supplies delivered to his cabin once a month and yesterday was delivery day. Otherwise, we might not have found him for quite some time."

Morris sighed quietly, wishing the other man would hurry up and get to the damn point.

"Real brutal type murder too. Not something we usually see here in these parts. Poor old guy was hacked to pieces with an ax. Had his head clean chopped off. Real gruesome. Made my rookie chuck up his pancakes, if you know what I mean."

"Mmmmm hmmmm." Morris said absently, returning his attention to the file on his desk. There had to be a clue in the file…perhaps a clue in Simmons' background…that could lead him to the boy. On the phone, Thompson continued to ramble.

"So the old guy hated people, but loved the wildlife. Especially deer. Had himself some real high tech, state of the art deer cams set up all around the perimeter of his land. Real fancy cameras. Motion sensored. Anything wandered onto his property, that old man knew it. Recorded the footage from the cameras so he could look at them whenever he wanted and compare the deer. Real enthusiast when it came to deer."

"Yeah." Morris muttered. "Deer are great. Great creatures."

"Yeah." Thompson agreed, embarrassed by the detective's lack of enthusiasm. "They are great. Anyway, Detective, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I'm sure you're real busy and all down there in that big city. But see we just got done reviewing the footage from Old Man Brown's…that's what we called him, Old Man Brown…his, uh, deer cams and judging by the footage I saw, I think we just might have just found that missing pop star of yours running like a bat out of hell through our woods. That kid is in these woods somewhere, you can bet your beaver tail on that one."

Morris felt his heart skip a beat.

"That kid? You mean Logan Mitchell?"

"Pretty sure that's who it was. My kid's a real fan of that group. Real devastated when she heard he was missing."

"So let me get this straight. Logan Mitchell was recorded on your murder vic's deer cam?"

"Yessir. Him and the murderer. Like I said, real gruesome. That boy is in some serious trouble."

"That he is." Morris agreed. "Listen, Ranger, I'm on my way. You're up near Eureka? I can be there in a few hours. Do me a favor and don't touch anything else in that cabin until I get there."

"You may want to hurry there, Detective. That guy who has him is a real mean piece of work. I'm not sure how much more time that kid has. I sure know I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now."

"Neither would I." Morris agreed as he hung up the phone. This was surreal. He had a lead. He had to be quick about this, inform the Captain of this new development and get his ass up to Eureka as soon as possible.

The Captain was the easy part. After hearing a quick summary of the phone call, he whole heartedly gave his blessing for the road trip, telling Morris to hurry the hell up. Morris nodded and headed for the door, intent on doing just that.

"Detective Morris!" A voice called, stopping him in his tracks.

Oh crap, no.

"Detective Morris, wait up!" Another voice joined the first. Morris turned around to face the newcomers. It was the boy's friends…the other three members of Big Time Rush.

"Going somewhere?" Kendall, the blond one, asked, looking serious. "Do you have a lead on Logan?"

The Hispanic boy next to the blond watched him closely, waiting for his answer with barely contained hope. "Have you found him?"

"You can tell us." The pretty one, James, said. "Please, we need to know what you found."

Morris eyed the group of teens warily. Finally, he sighed. There was no ignoring these kids. "Fine, yes. I have a lead. A park ranger has Logan on some deer cam footage at the scene of a murder."

The boys gasped.

"Not him! He's fine…at least, he was on camera. An old man was murdered. I'm on my way up there now to take a look at the scene."

Kendall nodded. "We're coming too."

The other two nodded with him.

Morris shook his head.

"I can't bring you kids with me. This is a pretty gruesome murder scene and not something you should be seeing." Morris told them.

James stood up tall, folding his arms in front of him with a frown. "Our friend has been kidnapped by a deranged nut job, who just happened to be your partner. We want to be there when you find him."

Morris could see from the stance the kids were taking that they wouldn't take no for an answer. And, to be honest, he had no idea what kind of shape the Mitchell kid would be in if and when he found him. Having familiar faces around might offer the poor kid some comfort. He sighed again. "Fine. You can come. But you stay in the car until I determine that the scene is properly processed and cleared. Understand?"

The boys nodded in unison.

"And you'll listen to me? Do what I say?" Morris asked.

Again, unison nods.

"I'm going to regret this." Morris muttered. "Come on; let's go find your friend."

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

A/N: So? What did everyone think? The next chapter is…well…really really weird and I'm sure no one will like it, but oh well : ) Still going to write it! It will really push the limits of the M Rating, but trust me, it does mean something for the story.

***Chapter 13*: Chapter 13**

**A/N: WARNING! This chapter contains VERY adult content and is most definitely rated M. Please do not read if this offends you. If you want to know what happens, but you don't feel comfortable reading it, PM me and I'll give you a clean summary : -)**

**Seriously, don't read this if you are uncomfortable with adult content. You've been warned!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BTR.**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

It wasn't Camille.

No, but it was someone familiar to Logan, though he didn't really know her.

The physical similarities to Camille were uncanny. He was surprised he didn't notice when he'd met her.

What was her name?

The waitress from the café, where he and Camille had gone on their date. It seemed like weeks ago…could it really only have been a few days?

Damn it, Logan couldn't think. What was her name? He'd practically ignored her at the restaurant, annoyed by her unwanted attention and advances. He'd been on a date, for petes sake. She wouldn't leave him alone.

He'd joked with Camille about the spit Coke.

Susan.

Her name was Susan.

And they were both in a shit load of trouble.

Hyde glared down at the whimpering whore on the ground, annoyed at her incessant wailing. She'd been whining non-stop since he'd grabbed her the night before, on her way home from the café. He knew when he saw her that he would have her. She looked so much like the other girl, with her curly brown hair and creamy skin. And she'd dared to flirt with his toy and for that, Hyde felt consumed with the desire to punish her – to make her regret her impudence.

Hyde absolutely loved the look of horror that crossed the boy's face when he saw the girl on the floor, obviously believing it to be his precious girlfriend. An almost immediate look of relief followed as the boy saw that it wasn't her, followed by a look of wary confusion. The boy's handsome face could be so expressive. Hyde wondered how expressive it could be. He so badly wanted to find out.

He ignored the dirty, wide eyed bitch on the floor and stalked around the boy, raking his fingernails brutally down the abused and bleeding skin. The boy's lean body tensed as he stifled a cry, obviously unwilling to show his pain in front of the girl.

"Does it hurt?" Hyde whispered in the boy's ear, so badly wanting to hear his answer. Logan closed his eyes and anger sparked deep within Hyde's brain. How dare he refuse to answer him, when he'd brought him such a lovely gift! His eyes shifted to the video playing on the TV screen…the video of the boy and girl. "She denied you." He whispered, his eyes raking over Logan's nude form. "She shouldn't have denied you."

"Shut up." Logan said angrily, looking away from the familiar and mortifying events on the screen.

"You shouldn't be denied. I want to watch you reach fulfillment."

Logan's eyes widened in shock.

"Pain and pleasure can go together." Hyde continued, running his fingernails over Logan's back again, enjoying the resulting hiss of pain. "I want to watch you with this girl. She can be with you in place of the other girl. She won't deny you."

Logan's head snapped to the girl on the floor, who fearfully looked back up at him.

"No." Logan said, shaking his head. "I won't." He would never force himself on someone. No matter what. He just wouldn't.

Hyde's eyes narrowed. "If you won't' fuck this bitch, then I have no use for her." He angrily reached for Susan, pulling her roughly to her feet. "I'll just dispose of this whore and bring another one here to take her place."

"No! Please!" Susan screamed, suddenly struggling against her captor. "Please!" Hyde slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

"You are a pathetic little whore." He spat out venomously. "If he won't do you, what good are you?" He eyed the wall in front of him, searching. He finally smiled and approached the wall, grabbing a large hunting knife.

"No!" Logan and Susan screamed in unison.

"Don't hurt her!" Logan cried, fighting against his restraints.

"I'll fuck him!" The girl screamed and both male heads whipped down to stare at her. "Please!" She continued frantically. "I'll fuck him, even if he doesn't want to! Just please don't kill me!"

Hyde regarded the girl with renewed interest while Logan just gaped down at her, shocked. This was new, Hyde thought, and the voices agreed, completely obsessed with the idea.

Her.

Forcing him.

Hyde groaned at the thought. It was perfect.

"Yes." He hissed. "You can fuck him."

"No!" Logan stammered. "You can't do this!" He gave the girl an apologetic look. "Hate to tell you this, but I'm not having sex with that girl and you can't force me."

Hyde glared at him. The boy seemed too smug. "You want her to die?"

"Of course not!" The boy shook his head sadly. "You'll do what you want; you know I can't stop you. But I'm not playing your games."

The girl's eyes flashed angrily. "You asshole!"

"What?"

"You son of a bitch! You'd let him kill me just to avoid screwing me!"

"It's a game." Logan told her quietly, suddenly too tired to fight. "Playing his game won't save us."

"I'm saving myself." Susan told him bitterly. "He can do whatever he wants with you."

Hyde was euphoric as he approached the boy and motioned for the girl to join him. Susan rushed over, sensing her redemption and eager to gain her captor's endearment. "Make him want you."

Susan's eyes flashed to Logan, who gaped up at the pair. "Make me what?" He started to struggle against his restraints, ignoring the fire in his back as his face turned a deep shade of red. "You can't be serious."

Up on the screen, the video began to replay. He was kissing Camille, his hands moving up under her shirt. Why wouldn't that damn video just stop playing?

Susan was looking down at him, her eyes roaming over his nude form. Logan felt completely exposed, vulnerable, and mortified to be leered at so obviously. Physical torture was one thing…he would endure that with as much dignity as he could muster…but he was completely unprepared to handle this situation. To be stared at so…so….lustfully….by a complete stranger…it was absolutely degrading.

Susan reached down and touched his chest, making Logan flinch. Don't touch me, he thought. Please don't touch me.

Her eyes narrowed when he flinched, her hands moving lower…lower…until she was touching his thigh.

"Don't." Logan pleaded quietly, refusing to look at her. Hyde watched the pair with increasing interest, the voices in his head screaming at the girl to hurry the hell up. He loved the despair in the boy's voice. He loved when they begged. The girl looked back at him, waiting for his instructions. Stupid bitch. He'd already told her what to do.

"Make him want you or I will cut your bitch head off." He growled, making the girl's face go white with fear. She immediately lowered her hand to take hold of the boy's most private part, hesitantly moving her hand up and down his semi-hard length.

"Please don't!" Logan pleaded again, gritting his teeth against the sudden sensations she was causing. Susan ignored him, becoming more confident as she increased her strokes, his body betraying him and responding eagerly to her touch, despite his mind's unwillingness.

"He likes it." Hyde told the girl, his eyes half closed with lust. "Take off your clothes."

The girl let go of the boy and pulled her dress up over her head without hesitation. She looked almost excited now. Her undergarments quickly followed her dress while the boy struggled to control his breathing, his eyes roaming the dark room. His refusal to look at the girl only seemed to make her more determined to fuck him. She moved to straddle him, her hand quickly resuming its earlier work, her strokes becoming harder as he did.

Hyde stood behind the girl, watching. This was perfect. So much better than the recorded tape still playing in the background. This was real. And he was loving it.

"Hit him." He groaned and the girl eagerly complied, slapping the boy across the face. He looked up at her, wounded disbelief evident in his eyes. She was willingly doing this and the boy couldn't mask his shock. She slapped him again with being prompted and Hyde felt his own body begin to stir with lust.

"Ow!" Logan yelled. "Cut it out!" His voice was strained as he fought his body's response to her skilled ministrations. Despite his efforts, his body continued to betray him and the girl smirked down at him, increasing the speed of her strokes as she watched him grow.

Hyde watched too, his own arousal increasing at the sight in front of him.

"Ride him." He told the girl and she eagerly complied, lowering herself onto the boy with a satisfied gasp. The look on the boy's face almost made Hyde cum. Despite his reluctance, the boy couldn't fight his body. And by the look on his face, his body loved what the girl was doing to him. The girl began to move slowly up and down, her back arching as she closed her eyes in ecstasy.

Logan closed his own eyes, horrified by his body's reaction and his helplessness to control the situation. He couldn't stifle his groan as Susan continued to slide her body up and down his length. Despite the mortifying situation he was in, there was no ignoring the intense feelings building in his lower body.

Personal.

This was too damn personal.

Sitting chest to chest with this girl, while she…violated him…stared into his eyes with unhidden lust…forced to watch her face as she smirked and rode him…

It was too personal.

His head fell back as he tried to forget where he was and who he was with. He couldn't concentrate. She was so hot…tight…it overwhelmed him. Nothing could have prepared him for this. No amount of stories from James, no amount of making out with Camille…could have prepared him for the intensity of this experience.

But it wasn't right.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

The recording was still playing in the background, the sounds of he and Camille mixing with the sounds that Susan was making…this wasn't right.

A hard slap and his eyes flew open, his cheek stinging.

"Look at me." Susan purred, her eyes locked on his. Logan looked everywhere else but her.

Another slap. He was helpless to stop them, with his hands bound to the chair. Crap that hurt. Why the hell did she keep slapping him?

"Look at me!" She growled, spurred on by the approving sounds of Hyde in the background. The bastard was enjoying this. Logan wouldn't look at him either.

He was supposed to be with Camille.

His first time was always supposed to be with Camille.

Not some random girl, tied to a chair in a horrific basement, watched by a murderous pervert.

Susan continued to slide up and down slowly, still smiling smugly at him. "I was going to have you one way or another." She whispered in his ear. "And I like it when someone watches." Her hands moved around to his back, her nails digging cruelly into the cuts and welts still oozing blood.

Logan clenched his jaw, determined not to scream. What the hell was her problem? It was like she was getting off on the entire situation. The pain in his back was mixing with the intense feelings of what she was doing to him, making it even harder for him to think.

God, it felt good. Despite the mortifying and completely humiliating circumstances bringing him to this point in his life, he couldn't deny that what Susan was doing felt incredible. Even though he tried to hate it, he just couldn't. His body was betraying him in a very primitive way and there was nothing he could do about it.

Hyde groaned behind Susan, watching the pair with an intensity that would have scared Logan if he could think straight. Susan was dangerously and stupidly oblivious to anything but Logan, falsely believing that her good looks and easy attitude towards sex would save her yet again.

"Make him cum." The gruff, lust filled voice ordered behind her, making her flinch just a bit. Make him cum. That would be easy. Then what? Maybe she could talk the pervert into letting her beat on the hot popstar a bit…maybe use the whips. Something about hurting the man beneath her was appealing in a very primal way. She watched his eyes go everywhere but her and she slapped his handsome face again, loving the pained expression as he eyes snapped to hers.

The power! Man, she loved this! She'd never been into tying someone up before, but after this, she was going to add it to her life permanently. The fact that such a handsome guy was at her mercy, to be used however she pleased, was a heady drug. She could still feel the sting of his refusal to be with her only days before. Still remember the smug look from the girl he was with, who was nowhere near as pretty as she was.

Logan was looking at her, all wide eyed and jaw clenched, clearly still trying to fight what she was doing to him. It was no use. Susan knew she was good…the amount of guys who'd told her so was proof of that. This guy didn't stand a chance against her skills. It was as good as done.

"Don't." He whispered, his voice telling her no, but the lust in that one word told her yes. Hell yes. The groaning behind her increased and she knew the psycho was getting off, enjoying the show. If she could keep him happy, maybe she could get out of here alive. Screw the popstar. He was on his own. Susan would throw him to the pervert to save herself.

"Oh god." She moaned as the pressure began to mount, signaling her own impending orgasm. She'd have to hurry to bring Logan with her. He wouldn't be able to withstand her then. She increased her speed and Logan moaned, unable to fight the almost unbearable pressure in his groan. Susan smiled and raked her nails across his back, getting off on the look of excruciating pain mixing with the look of pleasure on his face. That sealed it…she couldn't stop herself and she screamed as she came, Logan following only seconds later, unable to stop himself.

Fuck, Susan thought. That was incredible. Maybe there was something to this bondage/dungeon environment after all. Beneath her, Logan was panting hard, still coming down from his own release. He glared at her as he struggled to bring himself back under control and she just smiled at him smugly, pushing him back into the chair as she climbed off him. She laughed as he visibly winced, still glaring daggers at her.

Hyde had never been so overwhelmed with lust as he was now, watching the girl cruelly push the boy down into the chair, making him wince. She was a girl after his own heart and he had to have her….now! The voices echoed his sentiments, spurring him on with rare words of encouragement. Finally. A woman who ignited the fire within him. Hyde dropped his pants and stalked over to the girl, eyeing her savagely while the boy watched them both with trepidation and loathing.

"My turn." Hyde growled, enjoying the look of surprise on the girl's face. She visibly gulped and took a step back, no longer looking so smug. Hyde liked that. He wanted her to be afraid. She'd exerted a lot of control over the boy…now it was time for her to learn her place.

He grabbed her roughly and dragged her across the room, to a darkened corner.

"Okay." Susan said quickly, grimacing as he twisted her arm up behind her back. "Okay, I'll do whatever you want."

Logan watched the pair disappear into the dark corner with dread, knowing in the pit of his stomach that this wouldn't end well. Susan had mistakenly believed that she could save herself by forcing sex on him, but Logan knew it wouldn't save her. Hyde was nuts. Nothing could save her now.

A scream and the stinging sound of a slap came from the corner, causing Logan to flinch. A muttered 'bitch' and another groan as someone hit the floor. Logan closed his eyes. He couldn't see the pair anyway and he knew what was happening. The sounds were enough. He wished he could cover his ears too.

"No! Please!" That was Susan. She sounded scared. Another slap and then he heard sobbing.

She'd violated him. Logan felt dirty. Used. She'd smirked at him when he'd come. Like she thought it was funny that she could do that to him. Like he was nothing but a toy. Helpless to stop what she was doing. Part of him hated her for that.

Another muttered 'stupid bitch' and a grunt, followed by a curse. Susan was still sobbing. Then the pleading began.

Logan really wished he could cover his ears. He hung his head, waiting. Fear began to build in the pit of his stomach as the sounds in the corner increased, crescendoing, becoming more severe.

A sudden gasp, followed by pleading. "No! It's not my fault! I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!"

Another slap and Logan flinched again.

A scream. "Logan! Please help me!"

Susan, begging for his help. Logan struggled in the chair, but he knew it was no use. He couldn't get loose. She was on her own.

If he survived this, there was no way he would ever be able to forget this moment.

Her last scream was cut short, turning into a string of garbled, choking sounds. A struggle. Logan could hear the sound of a struggle. The sounds became weaker.

She wasn't screaming anymore. She wasn't making any sounds.

Logan watched the lifeless body fly through the air and land awkwardly at his feet, the wide eyes staring up at him accusingly.

He added her to the list of victims he hoped would forgive him.

Susan. The old hermit guy. That girl from the club.

Dead, because of him.

Logan looked away from the accusing eyes of the dead girl and into the terrifying face of Hyde.

"This is your fault." Hyde growled, advancing on the helpless popstar, his face red with anger. "You ruined me."

Logan gulped, silently freaking out. What was Hyde going to do to him now? Maybe he'd kill him, like he'd killed Susan.

Hyde slapped him hard in the face, making Logan's head spin. His leaned down, his face only inches from Logan's. "You ruined me!"

Logan blinked, trying to clear his vision. He couldn't think straight with Susan staring at him like that. A punch this time and his head snapped back, connecting solidly with the back of the chair.

Hyde stalked away angrily, leaving a dazed Logan blinking back tears. How dare that arrogant popstar ruin him like this! He couldn't even get it up for that stupid bitch whore! The second her got her alone in the corner, he'd gone as flaccid as a piece of licorice and that slut had had the nerve to smirk at him! At him! The voices mocked him, called him pathetic and he'd snapped, wringing that stupid girl's neck until her eyes had bugged out. And it was all that boy's fault! Before he came into his life, he'd had no problem taking what he needed from any girl he wanted.

Now he lusted after the boy and him alone.

Hyde stopped suddenly as realization hit him. He turned and stared at the naked boy strapped to the chair and his earlier lust instantly returned. The boy's eyes were wide as he stared back at Hyde, fear clearly evident and Hyde's lust grew.

It was the boy. He was the one Hyde wanted. The one the voices wanted.

And Hyde was going to take what he wanted. Now.

Hyde rushed the boy, punching him hard in the face again. Blood spurted across his hand as the boy's lip split, painting his skin a glorious red.

"I'm taking what's mine." Hyde growled at the boy, who looked up at him, his eyes glazed with pain.

"Fuck you." Logan muttered, spitting blood from his mouth onto the floor. Some of it landed on Susan.

"No." Hyde sneered. "I'm going to fuck you."

Logan's eyes bugged out. Just like Susan's had. He began to panic as Hyde's words sunk it.

No no no no no!

Rough hands grabbed him, undoing the restraints that held him to the chair and Logan fought back, lashing out at his attacker as soon as his hands were free. Hyde struck him full in the face again and Logan's head spun as a wave of nausea washed over him. His eyes clouded over as he struggled to stay conscious. He continued to struggle weakly as Hyde hauled him to his feet and threw him across the room, where he landed in a weak heap.

"You are pathetic!" Hyde yelled down at him. Logan struggled to his feet, watching the bigger man warily.

"Leave me alone, Hyde." He said weakly. "I mean it."

Hyde merely laughed, advancing on him again. "It's time I get what I want, boy. Don't fight me and I won't have to hurt you too much."

Logan scrambled across the room, ignoring his pained body's protests at the movement.

"Don't run, little Logan." Hyde whispered. He moved quickly…too quickly for the hurting boy…and he was on him, twisting him around and pressing him up against the table. Logan struggled against the other man, crying out as Hyde twisted his arm up behind his back.

This wasn't happening.

No way was this happening to him.

Forced sex with Susan was one thing….this….this was something so completely different…he couldn't let this happen…please please don't let this happen…

Hyde pushed him down against the table, the rough wood scraping the skin of his bare chest. Logan tried to twist away but he was so weak…so tired…and in complete shock and Hyde pinned him down, completely immobilizing him.

Suddenly his face was next to Logan's ear, his hot breath making him cringe. "You're mine now, boy." Hyde said quietly. "I can do whatever I want with you."

"Stop!" Logan pleaded, sounding so much like Susan had only moments earlier. "Please don't do this."

"You feel soooo good." Hyde groaned, grinding into his back, making him scream as the wounds there ignited in an agonizing pain.

"Don't." Logan whimpered into the table. He struggled again when Hyde's hands roamed over tender skin and Hyde slammed his head down onto the table with a loud crack. Blissful unconsciousness beckoned him as Hyde pushed him down even harder before fumbling lower down Logan's body…down there…oh god!...

"NO!" Logan screamed as excruciating pain washed over him…the worst kind of pain imaginable…and Hyde groaned against his ear.

"That's it!" He moaned. "Scream for me!"

Hyde continued his violent abuse of Logan's body, completely ignoring his screams and pleas as he sought his own release at the expense of the boy beneath him. This was what he'd needed; a strong body beneath him, writhing in agony, pleading with him as his tears fell unchecked onto the hard wooden table.

The struggles and cries only increased Hyde's pleasure and he came loudly, shoving himself brutally into the bleeding boy with hard, powerful thrusts. The voices in his head rejoiced, washing over him with approval and satisfied words of praise while the boy sobbed beneath him.

Hyde pushed the bleeding, abused boy to the ground, smirking as he landed on his back and cried out again, rolling quickly to his side to relieve the pain. Tears ran down his face as he glared up at Hyde, a small amount of delicious defiance still evident in his eyes.

"Get in the corner." Hyde ordered the frightened boy. Logan shook his head, refusing…or perhaps unable…to move. Hyde frowned. "Get in the corner or I'll take you again and this time, I won't be gentle."

Logan scrambled into the corner, pushing his back up against the cold cement to face Hyde as he secured his bleeding wrists to the chains in the wall.

"We're definitely going to do that again." Hyde promised the scared boy, enjoying the fear on Logan's face. "Soon." He laughed as Logan's face went white and he pushed himself further into the corner, covering himself with his arms.

He continued to laugh as he walked away, leaving Logan alone in the basement. Logan watched Hyde leave, waited until the basement door closed shut with a bang, and broke into gut wrenching sobs.

Oh god, his entire body hurt. There wasn't a part of him that wasn't bloody, abused and in agony. And Hyde had just…had just…

Logan couldn't even think it.

He'd never leave this place. Hyde was going to kill him. His friends would never find him. He was going to die alone in this basement, tortured to death by a psychotic fiend.

Only a few feet away, Susan's sightless eyes mocked him, reminding him that she had gotten away. Hyde couldn't hurt her anymore.

Logan cried even harder, unable to stop the tears. He put his head down in his arms, blocking out the basement, blocking out Susan, and praying to whoever was listening that Hyde would kill him soon.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So, let me have it. Did you like it? Hate it?**

***Chapter 14*: Chapter 14**

**A/N: So, it's been a long time since I last updated. Sorry! I had a really bad case of writer's block but I think I'm okay now :-) I've also been spending a lot of time reading stories by super fantastic fanfic writers, so you can blame them for my lack of updating (CRUMPET!) HAHA. Just kidding.**

**Shout out to Sherryw…as promised, I got this chapter posted today. Hope it was worth the wait!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own BTR. I tried once but I got outbid on eBay. Stupid last second bidders…**

**WARNING: This chapter contains ADULT CONTENT. Not the entire chapter…just parts of it. I'm not trying to get rid of readers, but adult content is the nature of this story. So if you don't like adult content, here's my suggestion…start reading the chapter…when you get to the adult stuff (and you'll know when you get there!) skim over that nasty stuff and then start reading again when it's over. It's really a very small part of the chapter. I swear.**

**Please REVIEW! I really want to know what you guys think of this chapter because it was really hard to write. Does it suck? Hope not. Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

So good.

The boy had been so good!

Beyond good!

That one time with the boy surpassed every single previous encounter that the man had ever had and would be hard to top.

The man wasn't sure he would ever be able to top that.

A whole new dynamic had been established. Never again would Hyde be satisfied with whiney, pathetic, sniveling whores who were beneath his attentions. They were nothing. They were filth and didn't know how to play the game.

But that boy in the basement, he was different. He played the game. He understood the game. The voices agreed, for once. Finally satisfied, at least for the moment, they basked in the afterglow of an extremely pleasing encounter. Why the man hadn't done that before now, they didn't know. That was their one chastisement…that he'd waited so long to claim what was theirs.

Hyde closed his eyes, remembering the feel of the writhing, bucking body beneath his. The tense, hard muscles, the groans and cries. It had all been so perfect. Watching the boy with the girl had been amazing…taking him afterwards while the lifeless girl stared at them with unseeing eyes had been beyond amazing. He opened his eyes and stared at the computer screen in front of him. Watching the video of the boy with the girl was reviving him..charging him..and he felt his desire grow once more.

Not for the first time, the man was glad he'd wired the special room up with video recorders. He would never be without his special pets, even after they'd expired. He'd always have them with him.

Despite his new repulsed feelings towards sleazy whores, Hyde still felt desire deep within him for the curly haired bitch girlfriend of his pet downstairs. She was eluding him. He couldn't stand that. He was a genius. Smarter than any other person on earth. If he wanted someone, no one should be able to stop him. And yet, the girl was still not his. And that arrogant blond haired boy had destroyed her phone and his camera, thinking he could sever the connection between her and the man. Foolish boy. The man frowned. He could still see the cocky smile on the blond boy's face, taunting him.

The desire was there.

Growing slowly, but still growing. When the man was done with his current pet and when he'd taken care of the elusive girl, he would deal with the arrogant blond boy in his basement room. He wouldn't be so arrogant then, would he. He'd strap him to the table and make him scream. Then he'd forcibly claim him, the same as he'd just claimed his current pet, and that tall, lithe body would quiver and convulse beneath him while delicious screams filled his ears.

The man groaned and took a deep breath.

He was getting ahead of himself.

He still had his pet in his special room, just waiting for him to visit him again.

And he still had to deal with the girl.

The voices told him to speed things up. Surly he could forget about the girl…she was nothing anyway…and get the blond boy now. He could easily handle both boys in his special room. There was plenty of room and he had all the time in the world to devote to them both.

No one could find him here. He was too smart. He was too perfect to be caught. He chuckled as he finished editing the video of the girl fucking the boy and attached it to the email he was sending….from a dummy account, of course. Routed through so many different servers that it would never be traced.

He was a genius.

A smirk graced his face as he thought about the girl opening that email. What would she think? Would she scream? Cry? Hate the boy? He didn't know…that idiot blond boy had destroyed his camera…but he could picture it in his head.

Maybe the girl was outside his physical reach, but he could still torment her. That was almost as good. And a plan was already forming in his head to get the blond boy in his special room. It could be done. A trap could be set. It had worked on his pet and he was supposed to be the smart one in the group. Blond boy didn't stand a chance.

Hyde laughed and wandered over to the basement door, rattling the handle again. He knew what it was doing to the boy in that room, playing on his nerves, scaring him with the unknown. Hyde could see it on the monitor next to the door, see the boy jump each time the door handle moved.

His fear was delicious.

Intoxicating.

And damned exciting.

The next time he touched that door handle, it would be the real thing and then the boy would know real fear and pain again.

Logan sat huddled in the corner of the cold basement, struggling to absorb the sheer amount of pain that his body was in. Everything hurt. The wounds on his back burned every time he moved, the knife wound on his shoulder had reopened and Logan was pretty sure it was becoming infected. The burns weren't bad, if he didn't think about them.

Other parts of him…hurt like a son of a bitch.

Susan wouldn't quit looking at him.

Logan could almost hear her mocking him, accusing him of getting her killed.

Why didn't you save me? She was saying. You left me to die. It's your fault I'm dead.

She'd used him. Treated him like shit. Like a toy. She'd laughed at him, hurt him, enjoyed it. Then she'd called out to him to save her.

Would he have, if he'd been able?

At this point, Logan wasn't sure. He could feel the bitter edges of a dark anger swarm around him and envelop him like a blanket, pushing away the despair. Logan was okay with that. Anger was better than the horrible fear that had settled over him earlier. Following the …the…incident. He couldn't say the other word. He just couldn't

But what Susan had done had been just as bad. Right? His body might have enjoyed it, but it had still been forced. He hadn't wanted it to happen. He hadn't wanted to be with anyone other than Camille. Not Susan.

Not her. Bile rose in his throat as he thought about the dead girl laying only feet from him. He hadn't wanted to be with her. He'd never wanted to be with her.

Two…..rapes. There, he'd said it. The anger increased. Two rapes in the same day. Both horrible in their own way.

Maybe she deserved what she got. Maybe that was the anger talking. But Logan couldn't get the image of her sneer out of his mind when she'd used him.

His first time with Camille would have been different. Camille wouldn't have laughed at him, sneered at him, slapped him…

Well, she probably would have slapped him. Logan allowed a small smile. But she would never intentionally cause him pain. Susan had made him feel dirty…cheap…worthless. He'd never felt as worthless and insignificant as he'd felt when she was using his body without his consent.

Reason struggled to be heard in a head full of rage. She'd been a prisoner too. Held here against her will. She'd been threatened with death and had chosen instead to try and save herself. At his expense but then how could he blame her? He was nothing to her.

Would he have done the same? Would he have wanted Camille to do the same, if she'd been in Susan's place?

The door at the top of the stairs jiggled, causing Logan to jump out of his skin. He held his breath, waiting, as his body tensed up. Moments later, when the door didn't open, Logan allowed himself to relax again. Hyde had been doing that all day, probably fucking with his mind.

It was working. The fear wouldn't leave.

We're definitely going to do that again, Hyde had said. And soon.

And when that door opened, Logan was scared to death that soon would have arrived. He couldn't go through that again. He just couldn't. Tears ran down his face and he cursed himself for being so weak. He wiped at them angrily with the back of his bloodied and shackled hand, wishing he could be stronger.

Like Kendall. Or James. Or Carlos. Or maybe even Susan.

They wouldn't cower in the corner, crying like a scared child.

Logan had never in his life been so scared. All the tortures in the world could not have scared him as much as that one word did.

Soon.

The scariest word in the entire English language.

Who knew.

Three hours.

Three fucking long hours in the car with the vic's three friends. Morris must have been out of his mind to allow the three young teens to go to the murder scene with him. What had he been thinking? Carlos, the small one, had talked nonstop for the entire trip, coaxing the other two into a reluctant game of I Spy.

And what the hell had there been to spy for the last hour of the trip, driving through the preserve to the cabin where the murder took place?

Road and trees.

That was it.

And Carlos had continued on with the game for the entire last hour, alternating between road and tree as the thing he'd spied.

"I spy with my little eye, something…" Carlos began again, igniting the Detective's already short temper.

"A TREE! We know it's a fucking tree! It's ALWAYS a fucking tree!" Morris screamed at the boy, his face turning red.

"Wow, dude, not cool." James muttered from the back, glaring at the older man.

"It was the road." Carlos said softly, looking down at his hands.

"Whatever." Morris said, pushing away the feelings of guilt that washed over him at the sight of the poor kid's sad face. "We're here." He pulled up to the cabin, still swarming with police and rangers. "You kids stay in the car."

"Stay in the car?" Kendall asked. "I thought we could…"

"Stay. In. The. Car!" Morris interrupted, opening his door. "And that means stay in the car. Until I tell you otherwise."

"Staying in the car." James muttered.

"Good." Morris slammed the door behind him and approached the cabin.

"We are so NOT staying in the car." Kendall said as soon as Morris was out of sight.

"Duh." Carlos said.

"Let's go. Stealth mode." James told them, quietly exiting the car.

Carlos tripped, emitting a soft scream when he fell on the ground.

"Stealth mode, Carlos!" Kendall hissed, pulling his friend to his feet.

"Sorry! My leg is asleep!"

"Let's go!" James led the boys around the cabin, careful to look nonchalant as they passed by park rangers and paramedics.

Kendall looked around. "Lot of people here."

"Wonder what they're all looking at." James said, eyeing the crowd huddled around the front of the cabin.

Carlos craned his neck to see. "That guy over there is giving us the stink eye."

The other guys looked over, spotting the short man dressed in a park ranger uniform. The man scowled even more when they spotted him.

"What's his problem?" James said, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude be crazy." Carlos whispered back.

"What are you boys doing here? This is a murder investigation." The ranger said, walking over to the boys. He looked them up and down and smirked. "You city boys ain't got no business being out here."

"We came with Detective Morris." James told him smugly. "We can be here if we want to."

"Is that right?" The ranger frowned. "We'll see about that. Get out of here."

"Dude, bossy much? You can't tell us what to do!" Kendall fumed.

"Now you boys look here!" The ranger began, his voice rising angrily with each word.

"Now you boys look here!" James repeated in a girly voice, making the other two boys laugh while the ranger glared at them furiously.

"What is going on here?" A southern twanged voice asked behind them, making the boys whirl around to face the newcomer. "Holy Moses, you're Big Time Rush!"

"Crap!" James whispered to his friends. "Busted!"

"Totally busted!" Kendall agreed when Detective Morris came storming around the corner of the cabin, glaring daggers at them.

"I told you boys to stay in the car!" He growled at the sheepish boys, throwing a look at the fan-girling head park ranger, who stood gawking at the pop stars.

"Head Ranger, Sir!" The irate ranger said, snapping to attention. "I was just telling these civilians to vacate the murder scene, Sir!"

"You were just being a dork." James muttered.

"Do ya'al mind if I call my daughter and let her know you're here? She's a huge fan." Ranger Thompson told them, ignoring the uncomfortable looks the boys were wearing.

"Uh." James stammered, shifting from foot to foot.

"Well." Kendall began, looking awkwardly at Detective Morris.

"They are supposed to be in the car." Detective Morris told the ranger.

"We tried to stay in the car." Carlos said quietly. "But we couldn't wait any longer."

Morris looked at him. "You were in the car for one minute!"

"It was a long minute." Carlos told him defiantly.

"Sir!" The other ranger interrupted. "These boys have no business being here."

"Andrews, these boys are Big Time Rush. Of course they should be here."

Morris sighed, rubbing his temples to ward off the headache the boys and the starry eyed Head Ranger were causing. "Fine! Whatever! Everyone just shut up! This is my murder investigation and I call the shots. Boy band, just stay out of trouble and follow me. Thompson, let's see that murder scene."

"This way." Ranger Thompson said, still grinning stupidly at the guys. "It's right up here."

Morris and the boys followed the ranger to the front of the cabin, realizing too late that the rangers hadn't bothered to cover the body. Morris whirled around, trying in vain to stop the teens from viewing the gruesome sight. The looks on their faces told him he was too late.

"What the?" Kendall said, his face turning a sickly shade of green.

"Oh my god." James whispered, disappearing back around the cabin.

Carlos just threw up.

Morris couldn't blame them. Even though he'd seen his share of horrific murder scenes, the one in front of him almost turned his stomach. It was gruesome. The body of the old hermit lay awkwardly on the ground, surrounded by a pool of dried blood. Most of the body, anyway. Parts were gone, hacked away with brutal, jagged chops of the ax that lay nearby. A foot was missing. A hand. And the man's head. The window next to the door was broken, the glass shattered inwards. The cabin door was hacked to pieces, much like the hermit.

"Logan hid inside the cabin." Morris said, turning to Ranger Thompson, who nodded.

"According to the video footage we have, he ran up to the cabin, where Old Man Brown opened the door. Your fella ran into the cabin when that psycho threw his ax into Brown. Gruesome scene. Poor old guy didn't stand a chance. Real disturbin what happened after too. Worst thing I ever saw! That murderin bastard hacked up Brown and threw pieces of him in through the window. Then hacked down the door and dragged that poor boy out all unconscious. Not sure what happened inside to the kid…" Thompson visibly shuddered, his face pale.

Morris gestured towards the remains. "You can at least cover that up with a sheet." He told the ranger.

"Right." Thompson said, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Aint never had a murder like this before and we weren't sure how to handle it. Thought we'd wait for you to get here and all." He looked sheepishly at the detective. "You did say not to touch anything."

Detective Morris shook his head. "Fine. Well, cover the body and let's get a look at the inside of the cabin."

"We'll get the coroner over here to examine the body." Thompson said helpfully, following the detective into the cabin. "He can determine the cause of death if you want."

"Cause of death?" Morris repeated. "Most likely the ax in the back or the loss of his head, wouldn't you say, Thompson?"

"Right. Of course."

James watched the pair disappear into the cabin while he tried to avoid looking at the horrible sight of the body on the ground. He was relieved beyond belief when someone threw an old sheet over the body, obscuring it from view. "Oh thank god." He muttered, still willing his stomach to settle down.

"That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen." Kendall whispered, his face still green. The boys huddled together near the ambulance, trying to stay out of the way. They were very much out of their element and didn't know what to do with themselves. And worst yet, they couldn't help imagining Logan hiding in that cabin while Simmons hacked the door down to get to him. What had their friend gone through, in that cabin? What horrors had he faced while body parts sailed through the window. Had he thought he was going to die? Was he already dead?

"He's not dead!" James said suddenly, startling the other two out of their thoughts. "He's not. I refuse to believe otherwise."

Carlos pulled his friend into a much needed hug. "No way he's dead." He soothed. "Not Logan. He can survive anything."

"He's strong." Kendall added. "Stronger than any of us. Braver than anyone else we know. We'll find him."

Ranger Thompson watched the pop stars through the broken window while Detective Morris surveyed the scene. "You think those boys would mind meeting my daughter?" He asked absently, feeling a big awkward observing their private moment. Morris sighed as he looked around the single room.

"They are going through a lot right now, Thompson. They've lost their best friend. I doubt they are up to meeting fans right now. I'm going to need to see that video footage of the murder."

"Right. Of course." Thompson said, hurrying over to the video equipment. "It's just that she's a huge fan and all and she's all broken up about the one that's missing and she would love to meet them." He pushed Play and stood by Morris as the video began. The scene was eerily quiet for a few moments before a figure crashed into the clearing, looking wildly behind him. This was Logan. After a moment's hesitation, Logan ran up to the cabin and banged on the door, which opened a moment later.

"That's Old Man Brown." Thompson needlessly told him. Morris resisted the urge to say 'duh' to the Head Ranger as he continued to watch the video. Brown turned around and an object sailed through the air, imbedding itself in the old man's back. Morris felt sorry for the man as he fumbled behind him, trying in vain to remove the ax while Logan stared at him, wide eyed and clearly scared out of his mind. Brown fell to the ground and Logan rushed into the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

Poor kid. Morris thought. Bad decision to rush into the enclosed structure, effective cutting off any chance of escape. Especially with his hands tied behind him. Moments later, Simmons rushed into the clearing, his face twisted into an evil smirk as he pulled the ax from the now deceased hermit. Morris shuddered when his partner brought the ax to his lips, tasting the man's blood. How could he have been so blind to his partner's true nature? How could he have ever considered that man a friend?

The scenes that played out next confirmed his suspicions. Simmons had hacked up the body, throwing the pieces in through the window. Then he'd chopped the door down and moments later he emerged, carrying an unconscious Logan.

"That's all we got." Thompson said, turning the player off. "It would appear that the boy was alive when your partner carried him out of the cabin. I doubt he's alive now though."

Morris shook his head. "I wouldn't count him out. Are there any other cabins in the vicinity? Any place Simmons could hide Logan? Simmons came out this way for a reason. My gut tells me they are nearby…in these woods somewhere." As soon as he said the words, Morris knew they were true. Simmons was here.

Thompson paused, giving the question some thought. "No one was allowed to build on this land once it became a state park. Only a few occupants were allowed to remain. Brown was one of them. All in all, I think there are about ten dwellings in the entire park. Only about five of them are currently occupied. The others belong to families that have since moved on, but the cabins remain."

Morris nodded, following the ranger out of the cabin. "I want to check out those cabins, starting with the one closest to here."

"You think Simmons might be hiding in one of them?"

Morris shrugged. "I don't know. But I want to check them out anyway."

"Okay. I can take you, along with my rangers as backup, in case we find him."

"I want these boys to stay here." Morris said, eyeing the boys still standing huddled off to the side.

"They can stay with one of my rangers." Thompson said, gesturing to the scowling ranger standing sullenly behind the boys. "Andrews will watch over them and keep them out of trouble."

Kendall smirked. "We don't need a babysitter."

"Yeah, I think you do." Morris told him. "You couldn't even remain in the car for more than a minute."

"We want to come with and check out the cabins." James argued. "We want to be there if you find Logan."

"I will radio the ranger and tell him immediately if we find your friend." Morris promised. "But for now, I want you boys out of danger."

"You are absolutely right." Kendall said quickly, interrupting his friends' protests. "We'll wait right here until you radio."

"What!" James said.

"We'll wait right here. Won't we guys?" Kendall urged, eyeing them meaningfully.

"Uh, yeah sure. We'll wait right here. With the crabby ranger. Sounds fun."

Morris seemed oblivious to the glances the boys were giving each other, his attention focused on gathering a team to search the cabins. "Good. You boys be good for the ranger and I'll see you in a bit."

James waved. "Okay. Bye bye now! What was that about?" He whirled on Kendall, who smiled back at him. "How can you agree to wait here while Logan could be nearby?"

"We aren't going to wait here." Kendall whispered, watching the cars speed away. "We are going to search the cabins ourselves. That way we can check the cabins faster and find Logan!"

James looked doubtful. "And just how to you propose we do that? We don't have a car. We don't know the area. And Yogi Bear over there won't let us leave."

"Just follow my lead." Kendall whispered. "Ranger, how are you doing?"

The ranger scowled at him. "I'm stuck here babysitting a boy band. How do you think I'm doing?"

Kendall raised an eyebrow in response. "Hostility aside, we are so glad they left us here with you. You are obviously the most qualified ranger in this entire park."

The ranger smirked. "I am. I should be head ranger."

"Of course you should!" James said. "And you should totally be leading the search for our friend!"

"You obviously know these woods better than anyone else." Carlos said, catching on to the game. "How could they leave you here with us when you should be rescuing Logan."

"Thompson just wants me out of the way so I can show him up by finding your friend." The ranger said. "You puke on a dead body one time and all of a sudden you can't be trusted to find one missing celebrity."

"He wants you in the background." James added, fueling the fire. "He wants to do this without you and take all the credit!"

"Yeah…..that dirty lowlife!"

Kendall looked thoughtful. "If only there was a way for you to watch us and be the hero at the same time."

"If only there was a way." James agreed.

The boys stared innocently at the ranger, waiting.

"Hey!" The ranger said suddenly. "We could go and search the cabins too! If you guys are with me, I'm still following Thompson's orders and watching you. And that bastard won't be able to hog all the glory of finding your friend."

"Oh my gosh!" Kendall said, slapping his forehead. "Why didn't we think of that guys?"

"I guess it's because we are not as smart as Ranger…what's your name?" James asked.

"Andrews." The ranger said, beaming under their praise.

"As Ranger Andrews!" James finished. "Golly guys, we are so lucky to be protected by Ranger Andrews."

"You are a genius, Sir!" Carlos added, smiling brightly at the older man.

"Shucks boys, I'm not a genius. Just doing my ranger duties is all." Andrews told them.

"And we are extremely blessed to be able to watch you work." James told him, grabbing hold of his shoulder and leading him to the one remaining SUV.

"So blessed." Kendall continued, opening the door to allow the ranger to slide into the driver's seat. The boys quickly hopped into the vehicle as Andrews started the ignition.

"So," Carlos asked, sitting next to the ranger. "Where do we start?"

"Thompson and big city detective were starting with the closest cabin, which is only fifteen miles from here. We should start with the furthest cabin from here."

James frowned. "Which is how far from here?"

"About fifty miles, give or a take a mile." Andrews told them. "We'll start there and work our way inward until we meet up with Thompson. Or find your friend."

"If you think that's best." James tried to hide a smile behind the gullible ranger.

"Of course I think its best." Ranger Andrews told the boys. "I'm finding your friend. And Ranger Thompson can't stop me."

Camille stared at her computer screen, watching the video unfold in complete shock. She knew when she'd received an email from an unknown sender that she shouldn't open it.

But she had to.

And so she did.

And now she was wishing she'd never even bought the damn computer in the first place.

Simmons face came on the screen again, close to the camera.

"Hope you enjoyed the show, Camille. That could have been you." He smiled his creepy smile. "Looks like Logan enjoyed himself though."

The video ended. With Logan tied to that chair and that…bitch…from the restaurant getting up off of him.

Camille felt sick. How could that girl have done that to Logan? She abused him…hit him…made him do something he hadn't wanted to do.

But he did look like he'd enjoyed it, at the end. Doubt clogged Camille's brain. All the times they'd been so close to doing just that and they'd always stopped. And now his first time was with that horrible girl in that horrible place. A tear escaped, running down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away.

That could have been you, Simmons had said. It should have been her. She should never have abandoned him like she did. She should be with him now, comforting him, protecting him. Doing whatever she had to do to keep him safe.

Not hiding in her apartment with security posted outside her door, making sure she didn't leave. Tears fell down her cheeks unnoticed as she stared at her laptop. This was all her fault. Going to that club…leaving her drink unattended…wandering off on her own…attracting the attention of that psychotic maniac….it was all her fault.

"Oh Logan!" Camille sobbed, her guilt and depression overwhelming her. "I'm so sorry." She prayed he'd forgive her when they found him.

The loud bang of the basement door slamming against the cement wall startled Logan awake and he scampered up against the cold wall, his eyes wildly searching the dark stairwell for his would-be tormenter. His bleary eyes settled on the lumbering figure heading steadily toward him and he swallowed a moan, determined to retain as much dignity as possible.

"Miss me?" The deep voice drawled, making Logan cringe.

The fear was so strong, it threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't go through that again. He just couldn't. He pulled at his chains as he watched Hyde's progress with wide eyes.

"Please." Logan stammered, pushing himself as far against the wall as he could.

Hyde smirked down at him. "Already begging me?"

Logan gulped and continued to pull at his chains, ignoring the blood that dripped down his wrist as he pulled. "Just stop." He whispered, still struggling.

"You're not going anywhere, cupcake." Hyde growled. "You can quit struggling."

Logan shook his head, pulling even harder at the cuffs on his wrists. Hyde was suddenly kneeling in front of him, his gaze piercing. "Where is the defiance, boy? Are you broken so easily?"

The eyes sparked, making Hyde smile. So the defiance was still there…hidden beneath the panic and fear. Perfect.

"Let's have some fun." Hyde said, standing up. "What shall we do?" He looked thoughtfully around the room, gazing at the objects on his walls. "Knives? Whips? Fire?"

Logan stopped struggling as despair washed over him. He slumped back against the wall, his breathing heavy as he stared up at the large man. His eyes widened as he watched Hyde stalk over to the wall, eye the objects, and choose the taser.

Not the taser. Logan hated the taser.

He cringed away from the man, saying a silent prayer in his head that Hyde would kill him. Please just kill him and take him away from the pain and misery that had become his world.

Without warning, Hyde dropped down in front of Logan, his eyes full of innocent wonder. He made a shushing sound, putting his finger to his lips.

Daniel. Crap. Daniel was back.

"You're in trouble now, bad man." Daniel sing-songed, looking into the far corner of the room, as if making sure that Hyde wasn't watching him. Logan shuddered at the complete crazy that radiated from the man in front of him. Daniel was less predictable than Hyde…Logan wasn't sure where this personality was headed.

"I'm not a bad man, Daniel." Logan reasoned quietly, playing along with the ruse that Hyde was still in the far corner. Daniel slapped him hard across the face then returned his finger to his lips.

"I said shush!" He whispered harshly, his eyes widening at some unseen activity on the far wall. "He'll hear you!"

"Sorry." Logan mumbled, absently wiping the blood from his newly split lip.

"He told us all how good you felt earlier, when he…" Daniel blushed. "I'm not supposed to say those words, but you know, when he did grown up stuff with you."

Logan didn't respond, feeling a blush of his own creeping over his face. It was ludicrous to have this conversation with the man who'd actually done…that…to him.

Daniel didn't notice how uncomfortable he was and continued talking, his eyes never leaving the far corner. "Now everyone wants to try that with you…not just Hyde. He says everyone can have a chance." Daniel's eyes returned to Logan, giving him a contemplative once over. "He said I get to have a chance." A hand hesitantly moved to Logan's knee and Logan flinched, startling the other man. Daniel's eyes hardened. "I'm not as young and naive as everyone thinks. I can do grown up things and then I can get some respect. The others won't push me around so much!"

Logan's eyes widened as his breathing became rapid. He was going to hyperventilate, he was sure of it. "Daniel," He reasoned, "You don't want to do grown up stuff yet. You're too young. And you know it's wrong."

Daniel began to remove his shirt, his eyes returning to the corner. "He doesn't know I'm doing this, so I have to be fast. I'm supposed to be naked, right? Like you?"

Logan was in full on panic mode at the thought of this young personality trying to have sex with him. For some reason, that seemed so much worse than Hyde. Indecent.

"Daniel, you don't want to do this." Logan said, backing up against the wall as much as he could, hissing when his abused back hit the concrete. He felt the sores open up and warm blood slowly ran down his back to drip on the floor. "Hyde will be angry and you don't want that."

"He won't know until it's over and then they will respect me." Daniel said defiantly. He moved to work on his pants buckle, fumbling a little with the snaps. "Stupid buttons." Daniel muttered. He smiled triumphantly when the button came undone and began to slowly lower his pants. He paused suddenly, looking unsure of himself.

Logan held his breath, waiting to see what the other man would do. He was absolutely terrified. This personality might be of a young boy, but he wouldn't be able to fight off the larger, older man if the personality decided to go through with the assault.

"The others want me to do it." Daniel whispered, pausing. "But I'm scared. I've never done this before."

"And you don't want to." Logan tried desperately. "This isn't you. Tell them you won't do it, Daniel. Please don't do this."

"He's going to do it again." Daniel said bitterly. "He gets to do whatever he wants and then he brags about it to the rest of us. Simmons never did that but this man does. He will do horrible things to you."

"He can't do much worse than he already has." Logan muttered bitterly,

"He wants to hurt you more. He likes whips."

Logan didn't answer, still waiting to see what Daniel would do.

"He says it feels nice, doing grown up things."

"It doesn't." Logan told him quickly. "He's lying. It hurts more than anything else he's ever done to you. He just wants to hurt you more, Daniel. You know that. He wants to punish you."

"They want me to do it and they will respect me if I do." Daniel said finally. The pants came all the way down and Logan whimpered, moving as far away as the chains would allow. "Stop moving!" Daniel yelled. "Just be still!"

"Oh my god, this is wrong!" Logan yelled back. Why was it so much worse when Daniel was in charge? It was the same man, but his mind knew this was much much worse. Logan almost wished Hyde would take possession again. He wasn't going to allow this to happen.

"You'll wish you stayed still!" Daniel screamed at him. "I'll hurt you bad if you don't!"

And out of a nightmare, the young personality came at him, more quickly than Logan would have thought possibly.

"STOP!" Logan screamed, fighting past the pain in his body and lashing out at his attacker, thanking the lord that his feet were still free. He used the leverage of the wall against his back, ignored the searing pain the move caused, and kicked out with his feet, kicking the other man solidly in the head.

Daniel screamed in rage, grabbing his face as he scrambled back, out of Logan's reach. Logan panted deeply, his fear rising as the watched the other man.

"You will regret that!" Daniel screamed. "You stupid ass!"

And the face changed sharply, right before Logan's eyes. The voice deepened an octave, the eyes became more sinister. The smile that graced the face showed no signs of humor.

"You will regret that." Hyde said softly, his words more sinister than Daniel's version, though more quiet. Logan had to strain to hear him.

Hyde rose from the basement floor in one fluid motion, his eyes never leaving Logan's face. Logan couldn't look away from the man, no matter how hard he tried. He felt like he was stuck in a trance as he watched Hyde stare at him.

What the hell was he going to do now?

"Daniel was going to have his way with you." Hyde sneered, almost laughing at the thought. "As if that boy would know what to do. He can't even find his pecker to take a piss with it."

Hyde looked thoughtful. "You should have let him try. He was going to be nice. Gentle. He hates to make people cry. That's why he's weak."

He grabbed hold of himself, moving his hand slowly up and down the shaft as he watched Logan.

"Just leave me alone." Logan moaned, shutting his eyes to block out the lewd sight in front of him. "Please leave me alone."

Hyde smirked in response. "I will have you again. Maybe I'll have her too." He said, eyeing the dead girl on the floor. "Maybe I'll cut her up when I'm done and feed her to you. Would you like that? Are you hungry Logan?"

"You're sick!" Logan screamed, finally snapping as bile rose in his throat. "You are a sick freakin bastard and you can go to hell!"

Hands grabbed at him…hands that had just been touching parts of anatomy that Logan wanted nothing to do with…and hauled him roughly to his feet, causing him to cry out as his body protested the movement. A fist connected solidly with his face, shooting bright stars throughout his vision, making his head spin. The chains fell from his wrists as he struggled not to puke up the last remaining remnants of his stomach.

"You should have let Daniel have you." Hyde whispered hotly in his ear, licking his earlobe and making him gag even more. "He would have been gentle. I won't be."

Logan whimpered as he was bent brutally over the table…shockingly and horribly similar to the scene only hours before.

No! His mind protested as he felt the desire to fight fade. Not again! Don't let him do this!

But Logan ignored his mind. He was done. He couldn't do this anymore. He could no longer tolerate the insane level of fear that had consumed him since the entire situation began, with that first letter in the lobby. He felt clammy hands glide over his shaking body, leaving goose bumps in their wake. He shivered, telling his mind to shut up…it was only pain and his body didn't care anymore. It was used to pain. Pain was all it knew.

He was done.

He was broken.

His body went slack against the table as hands traveled south and Logan closed his eyes, waiting for the impending explosion of pain.

Hyde paused in his assault as he felt the boy beneath him go slack. Tense muscles slackened under him as the boy stilled, no longer putting up a fight. The boy's breathing quickened as he obviously braced for the pain, but he no longer whimpered or pleaded. Desire faded slightly as the fight left the boy and he felt himself begin to go slack.

NO! The voices screamed at him.

Hyde cuffed the stupid boy on the head, furious at his submission. This wasn't what he wanted...what he craved. The fear was still there...he could tell by the rapid breathing and the cold sheen of sweat covering the boy's lean muscles.

But the fight was gone.

He was no better than the simpering whores...no better than the dead whore at Hyde's feet, smelling up his playroom with her rotting scent.

"Fight me!" He screamed at the prone boy, who tensed briefly beneath him, shocked by the sudden yelling. The boy shook his head.

"Just kill me." He said quietly, his voice defiantly sullen. "I won't give you what you want anymore."

Hyde screamed in frustration while the voices jeered him...jeered and mocked his flaccid manhood. Even Daniel taunted him with his current inability to violate the boy. Hyde had been in this situation before, and he felt a rage building deep within him. His hands moved slowly up the boy's body, towards his neck.

He'd show him.

Like the others, the boy would taste fear again and regret making the man impotent. No one mocked him!

Fuck the voices! He was Hyde and he was in charge and no one could ridicule him!

The voices caught on too late, screaming at him to stop! They hadn't had their turn with the boy yet!

Well fuck you! Hyde thought. His hands moved to encircle the boy's neck and, like the others, he began to fight.

But the boy was weak and it was too late. Hyde wanted vengeance.

He began to squeeze, enjoying the way the boy began to buck and move beneath him, trying in vain to escape his vice like hands and get air into his starving lungs. He was a better fighter than the whores had been and Hyde increased the pressure on his neck, struggling to maintain the advantage. His cock sprang to life during the struggle, rubbing suggestively against the boy's backside and Hyde groaned. The fight always gave him back what he needed...the desire and lust he craved.

He needed the boy...bad...he could no longer deny himself. He released his hold on the boy's neck and the boy gasped, pulling in large gulps of air while Hyde pinned him down to the table and positioned himself at his tight entrance.

"Ready for me?" He rasped out and received a strangled sob in response.

Delicious.

He began is slow entrance, savoring the way the boy grit his teeth together to hold in a cry of pain.

"Ahhhhhh..." .Hyde groaned. "You are so tight and perfect..."

Hyde was in ecstasy as he willed himself to slow down..to take his time. As the intense pleasure overwhelmed him he allowed the voices to praise him for not killing the boy.

Yet.

Logan clamped his jaw so tightly together to keep from screaming that he thought his teeth would crack. An unbearable pain consumed him as already abused flesh and muscle was assaulted once more, tearing him in two. He panted thru the pain, unable and unwilling to move for fear of making the violation hurt worse and prayed that Hyde would hurry up,

The psycho seemed in no hurry to comply with his prayer. He stopped moving, hovering just at the entrance, stretching Logan and making intimate parts of him burn and bleed. So consumed by the unbearable pain, Logan barely heard the klaxon sound of an alarm pierce through Hyde's moans of pleasure.

"What the fuck?" Hyde growled, disengaging himself from the boy and craning his neck around to look at the monitor on the wall. He reached over to grab the remote and switched the screen on while holding the shaking boy down with the other hand. "Stay down!" He yelled, smashing the boy's head down on the table to elicit a satisfying grunt of pain. "Let's see who's here."

The screen lit up, displaying the surveillance camera views of the property surrounding the small cabin. Hyde stared at the screen, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. A Ranger vehicle was pulling up to the cabin.

"I said STAY DOWN!" He shouted at the still struggling boy. "You think whoever that is will save you? You think I haven't thought of that?"

Logan blinked past the dizziness. Who was here? Had someone actually come to save him?

Hyde giggled, the high pitched sound making the hairs on Logan's neck stand on end. It was a crazy, demented, evil laugh.

"Whoever is out there is in for a little surprise." He whispered, still staring up at the screen, watching the progress of the vehicle as it came to a halt outside. Hyde almost couldn't contain his excitement as he watched the occupants get out and stand in front of his cabin.

This was sooooo perfect! The voices agreed!

"Your friends are here." He purred, positioning himself back behind the boy. Logan craned his neck to see the view screen.

His friends were here? They'd found him! They'd come to save him. Hope ignited in him as he resumed his struggles, trying desperately to get away from Hyde and away from any impending assault. His friends were here. He was saved.

"That's right." Hyde groaned. "Struggle for me! CRY AND SCREAM FOR ME!" He yelled the last part directly into Logan's ear, making him wince, but the fear was gone. His friends were here and he was going home.

"Stay the FUCK away from me!" Logan screamed back. "HELP! GUYS, I'M IN HERE!" They had to hear him. They had to know he was here. A hand came around and clamped itself over his mouth, effectively cutting off his calls for help.

"They can't save you, little Logan." Hyde taunted him. "I have a little surprise for them. I wonder which ones will die?"

DIE? Logan increased his struggles beneath the larger man, making his attacker groan even more. He had to save his friends from whatever Hyde had planned.

Hyde laughed as he positioned himself once more and leaned over to whisper in Logan's ear. "I hope the blond survives…I have plans for the two of you." And in one swift movement, he entered Logan, moaning in ecstasy as pleasure overwhelmed him and the boy screamed beneath him in pain and despair as his friends walked blindly towards their deaths.

"This is boring!" Carlos said, approaching yet another cabin. They'd already checked three abandoned cabins and the boys were losing hope.

"Maybe Detective Morris found Logan." James said as they eyed the cabin in front of them. It wasn't looking promising. The place looked like no one had been there in years. The shrubs were overgrown and threatened to overtake the dilapidated dwelling. James grimaced. The place definitely needed some work. And an exterminator, probably.

"He would have radioed." Kendall reminded them.

"Okay. You pop stars stay over there and let me check this place out first." Ranger Andrews ordered, drawing his gun. "If your friend is here, I'm the one that's rescuing him and Head Ranger Thompson can eat it!"

"Dude, you can get the credit!" James said irritably. "We just want Logan back!"

They stiffened as a strange sound assaulted their ears. It had sounded like a scream. From inside the cabin.

"He's here!" James yelled, rushing towards the door. "That has to be Logan! LOGAN! WE'RE COMING BUDDY!"

"STAY BACK!" Andrews yelled, pushing James behind him. "I said I'm going in first!" The Ranger reached the door first, flinging James to the ground with a look of disgust. "No way is some boy band taking my credit!" He reached for the door handle, a triumphant grin on his face, and opened the door.

He didn't even feel the explosion that ripped his body to shreds.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N**: Again, so sorry for the delay in posting. The next chapter should be up in a couple of days. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review! Sorry for the filthy adult content but I had to do it. It wasn't too bad, was it? LOL!

***Chapter 15*: Chapter 15**

**A/N: Yes, two updates in one week! Thank you, I am awesome : -) Enjoy! (AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!)**

**Disclaimer: I own Big Time Rush…uh, wait, sorry, I DON'T own Big Time Rush. Poop.**

**No 'adult content' in this chapter, so read without fear. I use a few naughty words, but that's it.**

**Unless you like the adult content…then I'm sorry for not including any.**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

The explosion boomed through the quiet forest, eliciting shocked curses from the rangers who were investigating yet another abandoned cabin. Detective Morris ran out of the cabin, looking up to the sky.

"What the hell was that?" He yelled at an equally surprised Ranger Thompson.

"I don't know!" Thompson yelled back, immediately pulling out his radio. "Thompson to base. We just heard an explosion in the east section of the park, approximately one quarter mile from my current location. Please send additional rangers out here to help us check it out!"

Morris spied the black plumes of smoke rising into the sky and pointed. "There! Where is that?"

Thompson squinted up into the sky, looking thoughtful. "That's darn close to the next cabin we were going to check out. Dang close!"

"It's them." Morris shouted, running to the SUV he and Thompson were sharing. "It has to be them! Simmons and the kid, I know they're there!"

Thompson chased after him. "But what the hell caused the explosion?" He slid into the driver's seat and started the ignition.

Morris shook his head in response, thinking. A horrible realization hit him and he paled. "The boys. SHIT! Call your ranger and make sure the guys are still with him and safe!"

Thompson pulled out his radio, looking doubtful. "Andrews wouldn't let them go anywhere. He may be a glory hound but he's no dumbass. Thompson to Andrews, what's your location?"

Static sounded over the radio as both men waited for a response that Morris knew in his heart they wouldn't get.

"Head Ranger Thompson to Ranger Andrews, I say again what is your location?"

Dead air greeted them.

"Damn it, Sam, you had better quit being an ass and answer me!" Thompson shouted into the radio, determined to get a response.

"He's not there." Morris told the ranger. "He's at the cabin, with those boys, and we had better get our asses there right now."

"Shit." Thompson said, putting the vehicle in gear. "Shit shit shit!"

"THEY'RE DEAD NOW!" Hyde screamed, reaching climax at the same time the explosion shook the cabin. He was so fucking high, right now! He'd watched the ranger explode, bits and pieces of him coating the security camera nearest to him. He'd watched the other boys fly through the air before they were obscured from view by the smoke and fire raging outside his door. And the boy had screamed so loudly and fought so hard against him when he'd claimed him again. He would never be able to recreate that moment, it had been that perfect.

Hyde pushed himself away from the shaking boy, letting him fall to the ground in a boneless heap.

"No." Logan whispered, eyeing the view screen on the wall where only smoke was visible. "No no no!"

Hyde smirked down at the fool, loving the look of desperation and despair. "Want me to go check on your friends?" He asked, noting the way the boy tensed up when he mentioned his friends. "Maybe blondie is out there, ready and waiting for me to take him! My cock would love that!"

Logan didn't answer him. He couldn't. He was too mortified and shocked by what had just happened. He'd seen the ranger blow up too. How could his friends have survived that?

Hyde left the bleeding boy and hurried to the wall, grabbing his favorite ax. He only needed the blond boy.

Not the other two.

If they were alive, he'd carve them up like turkey. Or like the hermit. He giggled. That would make his pet cry and plead. Maybe he'd let him watch while he killed them. That would be even better.

But blondie was his to keep. And play with. And fuck. Blondie would pay for mocking him.

"Stay put!" Hyde yelled at the hurting boy. "I'll be back and you can watch me fuck your friend!"

Logan watched him go, keeping up the charade of weakness until the basement door closed behind the psychopath.

Hyde had left him unchained. Holy shit!

He jumped to his feet, no longer caring about the resulting pain the movement caused. Who cared. He had to get the hell out of that hellhole basement and get to his friends. It was time to fight back.

He found his clothes in the corner of the dark room and put them on, wincing only slightly when his shirt touched his back. Screw the pain. If he was going to die, he was going to do it fully clothed. If he wasn't going to die…well, he still wanted fucking clothes on, damn it!

He ran for the stairs, adrenaline making him stronger than he'd felt in days. The searing heat radiating from the door shocked him and his mind went into panic overdrive.

The door was hot.

Fuck!

He looked down and his heart stopped. Soft waves of smoke filtered under the crack, lazily drifting past his feet.

The building was on fire.

"Shit! Shit!" Logan yelled, ignoring the searing pain in his hand as he grabbed the door handle and tugged at the locked door. It wouldn't budge. "HELP! I'M LOCKED IN! GUYS!"

This couldn't happen. Not now. No way was he going out like that while freedom waited for him just outside that door! Logan raced back down the stairs, stumbling over the last two in his haste to reach the bottom. He fell to the hard floor, banging his injured knee, making his cry out in pain. Tears filled his eyes as he struggled to his feet, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his leg. He had to get the hell out of there.

He coughed as the air became thinner and smoke began to fill the small underground room. There were no windows. The only way out was that locked door.

"Shit!" Logan yelled again, feeling the web of frustration wrap around him. He had to think. He could get out of this. He was a freakin genius!

Who panicked under pressure.

"Not anymore!" Logan yelled at himself. "Quit being a puss and find a freakin way out!"

He couldn't see anymore, the room was so full of breath- stealing smoke. He coughed and fell to the ground, thanking that fireman back home for telling his 2nd grade class what to do if they were ever in a fire.

If only that fireman had told them how to get out of a locked torture room filled with smoke! He'd probably just use his ax.

Holy fuck, the ax!

Hyde had those. Hyde had tons of those, lining his walls like freakish décor. Logan could grab an ax and smash that freakin door down and get the hell out of that room.

Which way? Logan peered through the dense smoke, rubbing his burning eyes as he tried to orient himself. The ax shelf was on the wall next to the stairs. Logan coughed, struggling to breath in the smoke filled room. Dark circles floated in front of his eyes and his lungs burned.

He had to get out of there or he would die.

He was on his own and his friends were in trouble. They would have found him by now if they were able. He crawled in the direction he hoped was right, feeling weaker and more lightheaded with each inch he covered. When he bumped into a shelf he almost started weeping with relief. His fingers closed around the handle of an ax and he gripped it with an iron determination.

No way was he dying in that basement. Not today.

The stairs were thankfully nearby and Logan reached them quickly, dragging his prize weakly up to the basement door. He winced when he felt how much hotter the door had gotten. The fire was raging on the other side. He had no idea what he would find when he busted through the door. Gritting his teeth against the searing heat he raised his arms above his head and brought the ax down heavily on the door. Shards of splintered wood smacked him in the face and he almost lost his precarious balance on the steep stairs. Steadying his frayed nerves, Logan took another swing at the door, relieved when the door made a satisfying cracking sound.

He could do this. He was almost out. He worked steadily, ignoring the pain and burning in his body and lungs, and finally managed to bust a large, foot wide hole in the door.

Almost.

Almost.

Another weakened swing of the ax and a loud clanging sound made his heart sink.

Wood didn't make a clanging sound.

Logan fumbled blindly at the door trying to see what the ax had hit and knew without a doubt he was dead.

Hyde had thought of everything.

The wooden door was infused with metal beams, similar to cell bars, giving it more strength. The ax wouldn't work. He was trapped. Tears of frustration and despair rolled down his cheeks as he looked through the small hole he'd managed in the door to the raging inferno in the room on the other side.

There was no way out.

For some reason help wasn't coming. He thought about yelling for help. Maybe his friends would hear him.

No. He couldn't do that. The fire was too thick, the house wouldn't last much longer. If he called out to his friends, he would be calling them to their deaths. He could never do that to his friends. Better to die alone than to die with his three best friends in the entire world. He could make that sacrifice for them.

Logan slid to the ground and put his shirt over his mouth and nose, taking shallow breaths as the smoke threatened to overwhelm him.

At least he wasn't dying under duress at the hands of a mad man. With any luck he'd pass out before the flames reached him. Maybe there would be no more pain.

He just hoped his friends were ok.

James groaned, still lying on the ground where the ranger had pushed him. What the hell had just happened? In a split second, the world had ignited into smoke and fire and the ranger had disintegrated in front of his eyes.

Where were his friends? James shifted around to try and locate his friends through the billowing black smoke, hissing at the sharp pain that radiated through his leg. He looked down the length of his body and his eyes widened. His right leg was pinned beneath a part of the cabin wall. He was trapped. And he was pretty sure his leg was broken.

Shit.

He was also covered in bits and chunks of the deceased ranger but he was trying not to think about that. Just don't think about it. Crap, he was thinking about it. Bile rose in his throat, both from the pain that was building on his leg, becoming increasingly excruciating as he struggled to free himself, and because he was just that grossed out. He had bits of human on him. That was not cool. A nervous giggle erupted from his throat and James couldn't stop it. He felt like he was on the verge of freaking out.

But no. He couldn't freak out. He had to find his friends.

"Carlos!" James groaned. "Kendall!"

The cabin in front of him was on fire, flames crawling lazily up the walls, slowly engulfing them. If Logan was in that cabin, he was in a world of shit.

"LOGAN!" James called out, wishing desperately that one of his friends would answer him. Horror threatened to overwhelm him as he briefly wondered if he was the only one alive. He was alone, trapped in these freaky woods, while fire surrounded him. "Anybody? Help!"

A scraping sound to his right caught James' attention and he turned his head, hoping to see a friend.

"Are you all alone, pretty boy?" The voice was quiet…chillingly quiet…and definitely did not belong to one of his friends. From the smoke, a tall figure emerged, walking slowly towards him.

Simmons.

James stared in horror at the approaching figure, his eyes glued to the ax in the man's hand. He pulled at his leg, trying in vain to get it free, but it was no use. He was trapped. Simmons giggled as he stood over James, his eyes glinting in the light of the fire.

"I don't need you." Simmons whispered. "The voices don't need you."

"Voices?" James stammered, still eyeing the ax as Simmons raised it lazily over his head. "What voices? What are you talking about?"

"You're pretty like the sniveling whores." Simmons continued, as if talking to himself. "I don't need you."

James swallowed his fear, struggling desperately against the debris pinning him to the ground. He closed his eyes when he saw Simmons move, the ax swinging in a wide arc down towards him. His arms went up in front of him in a desperate attempt to ward off the impending deadly blow.

"NO!" James screamed, knowing this was it. He was dead. Insane cackling filled his ears as the ax swished through the air. James flinched, waiting for the blinding pain he knew was inevitable.

And suddenly Carlos was there, screaming his name and propelling himself into the ax wielding attacker. Simmons was blindsided, his entire focus had been on James, and Carlos' attack caught him completely off guard. The swing went wild, missing James by mere inches as Carlos and Simmons fell to the ground in a heap.

"Carlos!" James screamed, watching his friend's frantic struggles with the much larger man.

"Leave my friend alone!" Carlos screamed, fighting like an enraged pit bull, knocking the ax out of the madman's hand and landing a solid punch to his jaw. Simmons roared, his rage building as he grabbed hold of the small boy and bodily tossed him to the side.

"I don't need you either." Simmons spit down at the boy. Carlos scrambled over to James, throwing his body over his friend's in an effort to protect him from the murderer.

And then, blessedly, Kendall was there, limping badly, holding a large tree branch in front of him as he launched himself at Simmons, and swinging the branch with all his strength. Simmons ducked the attack, his eyes lighting up when he caught sight of his prize.

"You!" He hissed, smiling at the blond boy. "You, I want to keep."

Kendall swung at Simmons again, cursing when he Simmons blocked the attack with his ax. Simmons smirked at Kendall's efforts and stalked the tall boy, no longer interested in the boys on the ground.

"Carlos!" Kendall yelled at the Latino boy while he kept an eye on the advancing Simmons. "Logan is in that cabin!"

Carlos swung his head towards the dwelling, his heart stopping when he saw just how bad the fire was raging. Logan was in that house.

"Leave me, Carlos." James pleaded. "I can protect myself. You have to go get Logan!"

Carlos nodded, though still unwilling to leave his friend undefended. He desperately eyed the surrounding area, spotting another large branch nearby. He lunged for it and passed it to James before taking a deep breath and darting into the fiery inferno. The searing heat was immediately felt and Carlos coughed, inhaling a lung full of smoke the second he entered the house. Panic started to set in as he saw just how bad the situation was. He looked around the small room, praying for some sign as to where Logan was. He didn't have much time before the entire house became engulfed.

"LOGAN!" Carlos screamed. "LOGAN, WHERE ARE YOU?"

He coughed again, his lungs and eyes burning as he listened for a response, his heart sinking when he didn't receive one. What if Logan was already dead?

"LOGAN! ANSWER ME BUDDY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Logan's eyes fluttered open when he heard his name being called. He immediately thought he was dreaming…or dead…but then the pain returned with a vengeance and he knew he was still very much alive.

I'm hearing things. He thought as a coughing fit consumed him, making him gasp for air. There was so much smoke now he couldn't find any good air to breath. It was only a matter of time now.

"LOGAN!"

There was his name again. The voice yelling it sounded familiar and Logan jerked awake, immediately rising to peer out of the small hole he'd made in the door. Relief and panic filled him as he spotted Carlos standing in the middle of living room, surrounded by flames, looking desperately around him.

"LOGAN! ANSWER ME!"

"Carlos!" Logan called, horrified at how hoarse he sounded. Carlos would never hear him. He grabbed the ax and started banging on the wooden door, hoping the sound would draw the attention of his friend. "Carlos! I'm here!"

Carlos spun around when he heard banging, relief flooding him when he saw his friend's face peering at him through a hole in the basement door. He ignored the flames and rushed blindly to the door, grabbing Logan's hand through the hole.

"Logan! Oh my god, you're alive!" He gushed, tears running down his face.

"I'm stuck in here, Carlos!" Logan told him. "I can't get out!"

Carlos looked at the door and paled. "Logan, there's a huge lock on the door!"

"Watch out!" Logan screamed as burning debris fell from the ceiling and landed only inches from his friend. "Get out of here! The whole place is coming down!"

Carlos shook his head furiously. "I'm not leaving without you!"

"Carlos, LEAVE! I'm dead anyway, save yourself!" Logan coughed, wincing at the burning in his lungs. He was inhaling too much smoke. He only had moments left before he passed out. "Carlos please!" Logan pleaded desperately. "Please get out of here!"

"I won't leave you!" Carlos screamed, ducking his head as more smoldering rubble fell from above

"CARLOS!" Logan screamed again, struggling to see his friend through the small opening in the door. Tears ran down his cheeks as he locked eyes with his friend. "You have to leave. If you don't go now, you'll never get out!"

Carlos looked around, desperately eyeing the inferno that was quickly engulfing the room. Logan was right. His exit was almost completely blocked off now. Moments from now, he would be stuck. Carlos turned back to Logan, seeing the worry and desperation in his eyes.

"Please." Logan whispered. "Please leave."

Carlos took a deep breath, weighed his options and sadly nodded his head in agreement. Logan sagged against the hot door in relief, clutching one last time at the hand of one of his best friends.

"Go!"

"Logan." Carlos sobbed, grief overwhelming him. To come so close and walk away. How could he do it.

Logan let go of Carlos' hand and moved away from the door. "Save the others! I love you guys!"

"NO!" Carlos screamed, a look of raw determination on his face. "I will not let you die! I got ya buddy!" Carlos assured him, eyeing the lock on the door. "I can get that off! I just need something to break it with!"

"Hurry, Carlos!" Logan pleaded, knowing his friend would never give up. "We only have seconds!"

Carlos looked around the room. "There's nothing in here I can use!"

"The ax!" Logan said, passing the tool through the hole.

Carlos grabbed the ax and swung it down hard on the door lock. "This lock is strong!" He swung down again, breathing a sigh of relief when the lock fell to the ground. He wrenched the door open and grabbed his ailing friend, bodily hauling him up and out of the burning cabin. Both boys stumbled from the house and collapsed in a heap on the ground near James.

"Logan!" James cried, his face pinched in obvious pain. "Thank god!"

Logan groaned as he tried to get up off the ground. "Where is Hyde?" He demanded, earning puzzled looks from his friends.

"Who?" Carlos asked.

"Simmons! Where is Simmons?"

"He took off after Kendall and I haven't seen them since!" James told them worriedly. Logan ignored the pained protests of his body and jumped up, looking wildly around them.

"We have to find them! Carlos, stay with James!"

Logan grabbed the ax from Carlos and took off running around the house. It was time to end this

Hyde chased the blonde boy around the burning cabin, realizing belatedly that his special room and his pet boy were lost to him. Rage burned within him at the lost and his anger only grew as he stared at the smirking boy in front of him.

It was his fault.

And the fault of his stupid friends.

Everything had been going so perfectly before they had shown up, ruining it all.

"You'll take his place." Hyde growled at the boy, who only sneered in response, fueling the fire within Hyde. There was no fear in this one. Only defiance. Hyde yearned to break him of that. "Come quietly and I won't kill your friends."

"Surrender now and you won't go to jail." Kendall retorted. "Oh wait, yeah you will you sick bastard freak!"

Hyde lunged with his ax, aiming for the arrogant boy's legs. He couldn't run if he didn't have feet. And Hyde didn't need the feet to have his fun with the boy. Feet didn't matter at all.

Kendall jumped back, the ax narrowly missing him. He breathed a silent sigh of relief and prayed that Carlos had found Logan. All he had to do was distract Simmons until Logan was safe. Right now, Logan was all that mattered.

"You won't be so smug when you're mine!"

"Not today, pops!" Kendall taunted, backing further away.

Hyde sneered at him, advancing on him swiftly. Time was running out. He needed to grab the boy and get out of there before someone else arrived to help. The fire and smoke would draw too much unwanted attention. It was time to retreat to his second hideout.

Where he kept his second playroom.

And suddenly the other boy was running towards them…the one he'd left for dead…swinging his own ax at Hyde, deflecting a blow meant for the blond. The force behind Logan's swing knocked Hyde's ax from his hands and propelled the older man to the ground.

"Logan!" Kendall shouted, relief at seeing his friend alive warring with his fear at seeing just how hurt Logan looked.

Logan took up a protective stance in front of Kendall, his face determined as he held the ax out in a defensive position. "Back off, Hyde. I will kill you."

Hyde? Kendall looked at the other man as he got up slowly, glaring at Logan. Who was Hyde?

"I'll take you both now, boy." Hyde told him, his voice dangerously low.

"I don't think so." Logan retorted. "Not this time."

The sudden appearance of more SUVs signaled the arrival of help and Logan almost sagged with relief. Hyde growled in frustration as Morris jumped from the lead vehicle, his gun drawn.

"SIMMONS! Put the ax down!" Morris screamed, rushing towards his former partner.

Hyde glared at him, his eyes narrowing in anger. He raised his ax, ready to take a final swing at the defiant boys in front of him.

"PUT IT DOWN!"

"I can kill you both before he kills me." Hyde whispered, his arms bringing the ax down towards Logan. Logan pushed Kendall back, blocking the blow with his own weapon as a gunshot rang out. Hyde fell back, the bullet from Morris's gun striking him in the shoulder. Blood erupted from the wound as Hyde fell to the ground screaming.

"You shot me! You asshole, you shot me!" The voice was high-pitched and frightened. Daniel.

"What the hell?" Kendall asked in wonder, watching the grown man squeal on the ground like a wounded child.

"I'm dying! Help me, I'm going to die! I don't want to die! Please help me!"

Morris ran up, keeping his gun trained on his ex-partner as he quickly secured the scene. "Stay down, Simmons!" He yelled as Logan and Kendall sagged against each other in relief.

"I want my mommy!" Daniel screamed, holding his shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably.

"You're…what? What is going on?" The scene in front of Morris was surreal and creepy…and completely confusing.

Logan hobbled up to the detective. "That's Daniel." He explained. "His ten year old boy personality."

"His…what?" Morris asked again. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Your partner suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. That one is Daniel. Simmons was your partner." His eyes narrowed as he watched the man on the ground. "Hyde is the psychopath in charge."

"You should have shot Hyde!" Daniel wailed. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well what the fuck!" Morris cursed. "This is fucked up!"

"Morris!" Andrews screamed, rushing towards the group. "The tall kid has a broken leg. We got him freed from the debris, but he needs to get to a hospital." He stopped as the sound of an approaching siren caught his attention. "Looks like the medics are here. And what the hell is going on?" He asked, staring down at the screaming man.

"Simmons is Hyde is Daniel, who is a ten year old boy." Morris tried to explain, not really sure he understood the situation himself.

"What?"

Morris sighed. "Don't ask. I need somewhere to put this freak until I can transport him to L.A." He looked at Logan, taking in the condition of the teen. "And this kid needs medical attention too."

Logan shook his head. "I'm fine."

"No," Morris argued, "You're not. You need medical attention."

"Logan, you need a doctor." Kendall said quietly.

"What I need is to make sure James and Carlos are ok." Logan told him. He hobbled away from the group and away from the screaming Daniel, pain building throughout his body as the earlier adrenaline faded.

He couldn't breathe. His lungs burned with each breath. Everything hurt. Everything. But he had to make sure his friends were okay. He found James lying in the back of an ambulance while a paramedic wrapped a brace around his leg to stabilize it. Carlos sat next to him, holding his hand. They both looked up when Logan approached, their relief and joy evident.

"Logan!" Carlos beamed happily, rushing to him and enveloping him in a Carlos bear hug. Logan flinched at the resulting pain, but hugged his friend back.

"I can't believe we found you, bro!" James said, hissing as the paramedic jarred his injured leg.

"I knew you would." Logan told them, smiling.

"Put that freak in the back of your SUV!" Morris ordered the head ranger, who was hauling a still wailing Daniel towards his car .

"My shoulder hurts!" Daniel was crying, the scene so eerie and disturbing that Logan had to look away.

"Get a paramedic over here to shut this guy up!" Morris yelled, clearly finding the situation as disturbing as Logan did. Thompson shoved the man into the back of his SUV and slammed the door shut.

"That is one crazy son of a bitch!" He told Morris. Morris just nodded his agreement as he and Kendall approached the boys.

"I want you boys in that ambulance and on your way to the hospital." Morris ordered. "All of you. You all have cuts and shrapnel imbedded in you, James as a broken leg and Logan, you look like you've got more injuries than I can count."

With the exception of James, who desperately wanted pain killers, the boys looked sullen. Logan looked ready to argue and even opened his mouth to do so, only to be shut down by his three friends.

"No arguing, Logan!" Kendall warned. "You need a doctor."

"Please, Logan." Carlos pleaded. "We have to make sure you're ok."

"Come on, bro. There's plenty of room and plenty of pain killers to go around." James said, gesturing around the ambulance. "We can ride together."

Logan sighed. Pain killers and a nice soft bed did sound nice. "Fine. I'll ride with James."

The paramedic finished wrapping James' leg and moved to take a look at Logan.

"Too many to treat here." Logan warned. "Better off waiting for the hospital."

The paramedic raised an eyebrow but wisely chose to pick his battles elsewhere. The kid had obviously been through a lot but he could see no life threatening injuries and he was sure the kid would be fine until he could be checked out at the hospital.

"Okay." He told Logan. "You can ride to the hospital with your friend here and get checked out there. But you will let the doctors check you out there. You've got obvious injuries that need treating. And I want to put an oxygen mask on you to combat the smoke inhalation." He eyed Carlos. "You too kid. You ran into the fire, right?"

Carlos nodded guiltily.

"OK. Oxygen for the two of you. Wait here, I gotta go patch that loony toon up real quick."

Logan felt a chill run over him as he glanced over at the sobbing man in the SUV. "Just be careful around him," he felt a sudden need to caution the other man.

"Sure kid." Tom Winters smiled, heading for the SUV, doubting that the sniveling fool in the car could be a threat. He was a medic in the army for five years before being discharged and he had developed a pretty good skill at reading people. That twerp in the car was crazy as a loon...but at the moment he seemed pretty helpless.

Morris eyed the paramedic as he passed him on his way over to the wounded boys. "Don't open that door until I'm there with you." He ordered the other man. "I want a gun trained on him the entire time that door is open."

"Whatever." Tom said under his breath. "Just patching a bullet hole...don't need a babysitter. He leaned against the SUV, trying to block out the incessantly annoying sounds coming from inside the vehicle. Jesus, but the freak was aggravating. Acting like a pansy ass kid and he'd managed to restrain and kidnap that pop star? Tom smirked. Didn't say much for the kid over there, letting this freak get the drop on him. He rolled his eyes, wondering how long the cop was going to take with the kids. He wanted to get the nut job patched up and be on his way.

Morris glowered at the boys, who, all but Logan, had the courtesy to look ashamed. "What the hell were you boys thinking? I told you to stay in the fucking car!"

James tried to sit up in the ambulance, coming to their defense. "We wanted to help Logan and we thought if we could check the cabins faster…."

"You'd what? Take on a maniac all by yourselves? You boys were reckless and you put your lives in danger. And that idiot ranger agreeing to take you! What did that get him? He was killed because of his recklessness. And you could have been killed too! You're lucky you weren't killed! You could have killed your friend!"

Heads hung lower as the full weight of Morris' words hit home. They had been reckless. Ranger Andrews was dead because they had talked him into disobeying orders.

"But we got Logan back." Carlos said quietly. "We got him back."

Morris sighed. The entire operation had been a raging fuck up, but in the end, they had managed to rescue the victim. And they couldn't be held responsible for the asinine actions of the trained park ranger. That man had ignored protocol and entered a hostile situation without backup, while toting around teenaged civilians.

Not that he deserved to be blown to pieces.

Logan slumped back against the ambulance, exhaustion finally getting the best of him. That past couple of days had been one long blur of pain and terror and he wasn't sure how much longer he could continue to function without rest. And food.

He hadn't realized it before now, but he was freakin starving!

I'll cut her up and feed her to you. Are you hungry Logan?

Logan shuddered as flashed back to that basement, where Susan had refused to quit staring at him. The only time Hyde had offered to feed him.

Logan shook his head, clearing the horrible thoughts from his mind. He wasn't there, in that basement, anymore. He was free. He was surrounded by his friends. He was safe. He absently watched the paramedic leaning against the car.

"Don't let him open that door." He muttered, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Morris paused in his tirade and looked over his shoulder.

"He's not." He turned back to the boys and continued lecturing them about the repercussions of their actions. Logan couldn't listen. He couldn't take his eyes off the SUV where Daniel continued to wail.

"Are you listening to me?" Morris said suddenly, whirling on Logan.

"I didn't disobey your orders." Logan reminded him, tearing his eyes reluctantly away from the paramedic. "And personally, I'm glad they found me."

Morris sighed. "Not helping."

Logan shrugged and went back to watching the paramedic, who was starting to seem restless.

Tom was more than restless. The pathetic mewling sound that the wounded man was making was getting on his nerves and that asshole cop was taking his sweet ass time lecturing the errant boy band and he freakin wanted to get this job done and go home. Was that too much to ask?

"Fuck it." He said suddenly, pushing off the vehicle and grabbing his kit. He was doing this…with or without the cop. They were surrounded by law enforcement. The nut job wasn't going anywhere. He sighed when he wrenched open the SUV door, rolling his eyes at the way the freakazoid was rocking back and forth on the seat, holding his injured shoulder.

"That man s-s-s-shot m-m-meeeee!" The grown man wailed, sounding like a ten year old boy. Creepy.

"Whatever dude." The paramedic said, pulling a needle out of his bag. One dose of morphine and this lunatic would be in lah lah land for the rest of the treatment. "Just man up and quit crying. You did way worse to that kid over there and it makes me sick that I have to treat you."

"Huuuurrtttts." The man sobbed.

"Geez! Quit being such a wuss! They will beat your ass in prison if you act like a pussy." The paramedic said, filling the needle with morphine. "Gonna give you a little poke and you'll feel all better."

Logan glanced over at the SUV where the paramedic was talking to Daniel. He paled when he noticed that the paramedic had the door open.

"He's got the door open." He whispered. Morris glanced at him briefly before returning to his lecture.

Logan struggled to control his breathing. It was creeping him out that the door to the vehicle was open. No. He was fine. There were cops everywhere. He was fine. Daniel was still screaming about the pain. Logan shook his head and turned his attention back to his friends only to glance up again a second later. His eyes locked with the man in the SUV and in that second the innocent wailing child was gone, replaced by the cold calculating eyes of someone more lethal.

Hyde. Not Daniel.

"That's Hyde!" Logan called the warning but no one paid him any attention. He took off towards the vehicle, earning confused looks from those around him.

"That's Hyde, damn it! Close the fucking door!" He screamed at the paramedic who turned his head to glare at him.

"Close the door!"

Morris looked at the vehicle, suddenly realizing that the paramedic had ignored him and opened the door. He ran for the vehicle as his former partner grabbed hold of the needle in the paramedics hand and brutally jabbed it into the medic's exposed neck, hitting an artery. The medic's eyes widened as he slumped to the ground in shock.

"NO!" Logan yelled as Hyde jumped out of the open door and pulled the driver side door open. He gave Logan one last smirk before the engine roared to life and the vehicle peeled off, leaving detective Morris and the bewildered park rangers behind.

"No." Logan whispered, watching the thing he feared most drive away to freedom. "Oh Pease no."

"Get me a fucking car and chase that mother fucking SUV!" Morris was screaming. "I need an APB called in on that fucking car now! What fucking idiot left his keys in the mother fucking car goddammit!"

Chaos surrounded Logan as everyone scrambled to follow the orders issued by the irate officer. Logan sank to his knees as the activity around him faded to the background. All he could focus on was that retreating SUV. Hyde was free. Logan would never be safe. Hyde would never leave him alone.

A strange buzzing filled his ears, blocking out every other sound. Carlos and Kendall fell to the ground next to him, their worried faces blocking his view of the vehicle. They were talking but he couldn't make out what they were saying

It was too much

He was on an emotional overload and he couldn't deal with it any longer. He accepted the black haze that clouded his vision, welcoming the blessed relief of unconsciousness.

Sirens roared past him in pursuit of Hyde but Logan couldn't care anymore. He was done.

Kendall and Carlos watched in horror as Logan's eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, falling in an unconscious heap to the ground.

Hyde couldn't get the boys out of his mind. He glanced behind him, satisfied that he'd lost whatever pathetic attempt had been made to pursue him and slowed the vehicle just enough to open the door and jump to the ground. He hit the ground in a roll, absorbing the shock of the impact with his shoulder and came up running as the SUV rammed into a nearby tree and burst into bright, hot flames.

He wanted both boys now. Not just Logan but the blond one too. Kendall.

Hyde had such grand plans for them.

He picked himself up off the ground and ran into the cover of the trees, needing to put as much distance between himself and whatever dufus local law enforcement decided to come after him. He had things to do.

A trap to set.

He needed those boys. Now.

Lust like he had never known began to burn deep within him as he sprinted through the forest, imagining all the lewd things he could do to those hard, lean bodies. Logan's body he knew intimately. He couldn't wait to discover the blonde's body too.

And he knew just how to get the boys. The plan was simple. The trap would be impossible to escape.

It was time to visit the curly haired bitch again. This time, she wouldn't be able to elude him.

This time, she would be his.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Please remember to review! Thanks for reading. Next chapter is almost half finished, so I'm hoping to post again in the next couple of days. (sorry for any mistakes in this chapter…I read it thru once, but I'm too tired to read it again. What it is will have to do.)**

***Chapter 16*: Chapter 16**

**A/N: So this chapter took forever to write, but if it makes you feel better, its LLOONNNNGGGG! (And in my defense, I went old school & wrote it ON PAPER…WHAT? Weird, right? On paper, it was like 100 pages. I thought, Wow, this is awesome! 100 pages! Well, yeah, after typing it out its only, like, 30 pages. So 100 hand written = 30 typed. Bummage. Anyway, still a long chapter. And I got to get my creepy on! Woo Hoo! I hope this chapter both terrifies the junk monkey out of you and makes you cry with some crappily written angst. ENJOY!**

**And here's a shout out to PACIFIC POPSICLE because he/she asked for one : ) Pacific, you are awesome. Thank you for reading my crappy little story! I can't promise that I won't do all the things you asked about, but you'll like it. Promise ; )**

**And a shout out to guest reviewer Despondent Fan, who encouraged me to finish this chapter today : ) Now you won't be sad : ) Right? Until you read my horrible attempts at writing angst…sorry about that.**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Camille reclined in the tub, her head resting on an inflated pillow, her thoughts as hollow and empty as the bubbles that floated around her in the scented water. She scooped up a random bubble and held it up to her face, absently watching the colors swirl on its surface. So fragile. Anything could break it.

For a second, she felt like that bubble. Like anything could come along and break her. She blew softly on the bubble, watching it burst with a wet pop in the palm of her hand. That could be her. She just needed someone to blow on her and she'd pop. Out of existence. Just like Logan.

Camille sighed and accepted the fact that a soak in a bath wouldn't soothe the stress and fear that consumed her while Logan was missing and Simmons was on the loose. She stepped out of the tub, dried herself slowly and slipped on her robe, welcoming the warmth of the soft terry cloth. She couldn't seem to block out the chill that enveloped her since that night in the café…when Simmons had taken Logan away from her.

The phone call, the forced strip show and the email continued to haunt her. Logan's screams continued to haunt her. The look on his face when he was with the waitress. All of these images seared into her brain until she wished her head would pop…just like the bubble…simply to end the pain. Camille tried to remember a time when she wasn't terrified. When she wasn't alone in a sea of people who weren't Logan.

She smelled the smoke before she saw it. The battery operated smoke alarm shrilled above her head just as she caught sight of the gray cloud hugging the ceiling. She froze in the hallway, gaping into the kitchen.

Fire.

Oh god! Her kitchen was on fire! She needed to call someone. She needed to put the fire out! The whole place could burn down! She didn't know what to do. She couldn't move. Her body wouldn't move. All she could do was stare at the flames in her kitchen.

"Camille! There's a fire!" Jo rushed from the guest bedroom and pushed past Camille to get to the kitchen. Camille watched her look around frantically before spotting the engulfed dish towel on the glowing burner of the stove. Jo grabbed the edge of the towel and flung it into the sink, hissing as the burning cloth singed her skin. She grabbed the sprayer, turned on the water and doused the towel, easily putting out the flames. It was over. The fire was out. Camille breathed a sigh of relief as Jo turned to face her.

"The stove burner was on." She said, shaking her head. "Camille, are you okay?"

Camille managed a small nod as she grabbed a chair, standing on it to reach the blaring alarm. She plucked if from the ceiling and shut it off, her ears ringing from the shrill noise.

"I'm sorry." She said softly to Jo. "I'm so sorry. I just froze. I couldn't move."

Jo walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. "It's okay. Everything is okay. It was an accident."

Camille nodded absently. She felt so jumpy. So on edge. Her nerves were completely fried.

"What were you making?" Jo was asking her as she headed to the living room to open a window.

"Hmmmm?" Camille asked.

"On the stove. What were you going to make?"

"I…wasn't…I didn't turn the stove on." Camille answered, confused.

Jo allowed a small smile. "Haha. So funny."

Goosebumps popped up on her arms as the chilled outside air blew into the apartment, dissipating the smoke.

"No." Camille to her friend, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill. "I really didn't turn the stove on."

Jo paled. "Camille, not funny."

Something was wrong. This was wrong. Camille looked around the familiar room, suddenly feeling alone and out of place. The room seemed darker. More foreboding. All warmth had left out the window, with the smoke.

"He's here." She whispered, her wide eyes darting around wildly. "He's here again."

Jo slammed the window shut quickly, locking it. "No, he's not. He can't be." She said shakily.

"He is. I can feel him. I know he's here. Watching us."

"Camille, stop. You're scaring me." Jo said sternly. "That creep is not here. We're safe here."

But that wasn't true and Camille knew it. "We won't be safe no matter where we go. He'll always find us."

"Camille, please."

But Camille couldn't shake the feeling that he was nearby. "He's coming for me."

The phone on the wall rang, making the girls jump. Camille's heart tightened painfully in her chest. She knew it was him.

"Don't answer it Camille!" Jo pleaded as Camille slowly walked to the phone. Camille ignored her. She knew it was him. She knew she had to talk to him. She lifted the phone and put it to her ear.

"Do you know where I am?" The voice on the other end mocked quietly. "I'm here somewhere. Come find me before I find you."

Camille slammed the receiver back down, ending the call. Struggling to breath past the fear, she jumped back when the phone began to ring again. The girls stared at it.

It rang five…six…seven times before Camille lunged for it, knocking it off the wall and returning the receiver to her ear.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." The voice sang to her. "But I know where you are. Do you know where I am? I'll give you a hint…I'm close."

"Leave me alone!" Camille screamed into the phone. "Just leave me alone!"

"I'll never leave you alone, Camille." Simmons said darkly. "I need you. So badly. Stay there. I'm coming for you."

Jo grabbed the phone from her hand and slammed it down, ending the call. "Fuck this." She said, unplugging the phone from the wall. "Camille, do we need to get out of here?"

"He's coming for me." Camille stammered as bile rose in her throat.

"He's trying to scare you!" Jo argued. "He can't get to you here."

"He started the fire. He got in here and started the fire." Camille was panicking. He'd started the fire. He'd been in her apartment. While she'd been bathing. "What if he's still in the apartment?" The entire room looked ominous… every shadow was making her jump.

"We have security." Jo reminded her, suddenly remembering the man stationed outside the door. "Brian is here."

Camille's eyes widened. "Brian would have heard the alarm. He didn't hear the alarm."

Jo headed for the door.

"No!" Camille yelled. "Don't open the door! He would have heard the alarm!"

"Brian will protect us!" She opened the door.

And began to scream.

Brian's death had been brutal. Painful. The gore on the door was proof of that. The large, bloody gashes decorating his torso. The slashes to his lifeless face.

"Oh god oh god oh god…" Jo moaned, staggering back against the door frame. "Oh my god."

"Close the door! Jo! Close the door before he comes here!" Camille screamed, rushing forward to pull Jo back into the apartment. Jo slammed the door and backed away slowly, her eyes wide.

"We need help!" Camille told her friend, grabbing hold of her shoulders.

"He will kill us." Jo whispered. "He will kill us like he killed Brian."

"He will not kill us!"

"Yes he will. He'll gut us like fish. Did you see what he did?" Jo continued. "We have to get out of here. First Logan and now Brian!"

"Logan is alive!"

"You don't know that!"

Camille shook her head, trying to fight back her own panic. "We can't leave, Jo. What if he's out there? What if he wants us to leave? He could be in the hallway right now, waiting for us!"

"HE WAS IN HERE!" Jo screamed back at her.

"We're safer if we stay here! We can call for help." Camille ran into the kitchen and plugged the phone back in, putting the receiver to her ear.

"No one can help you, Camille." Simmons was on the other end. It hadn't even rung.

"Go to hell!" She screamed at him.

"You'll be there soon." The line went dead.

"We have to think Jo! We need to find help!." Camille stammered crazily, staring down at the dead phone. Her terror was making it hard to concentrate on anything other than blind panic.

"Hide." Jo said, backing further down the dark hallway. "We need to find until the police arrive."

"Jo, get your cell phone. We can call from that."

"We have to hide Camille! He could be here somewhere."

"Is it in your purse?" Camille asked, trying to remain calm. Jo's purse was on the table. She bent down to rummage through the bag, hoping to find a phone. "Jo! I need your phone!"

Behind her, Jo screamed. "Camille! Ca-."

Liquid gurgling followed the shrill scream and Camille whipped around to face the hallway. Jo's lips gaped open and blood spilled over them. Three hands hovered over her stomach…one holding a large machete…all three shiny, coated in…Jo's blood…oh god… Camille's eyes met Jo's for a second before she crumpled to the floor. Simmons coldly looked down at Jo, then back at Camille.

"Not planning to run, are you sweet girl?"

Run. Camille knew she should run. She looked at his feet, to where Jo was, surrounded in her own blood. Her fingers twitched.

Jo was still alive!

Camille couldn't leave her. Not with him. Not while she was still alive. But she couldn't fight him. He had the knife. The horrible bloody knife. She had nothing.

So she screamed.

Simmons was on her in a flash…faster than she would have thought possible…and pain shot through her jaw where he hit her before twisting her around and placing the wicked machete up against her throat.

"Do that again and I'll gut you just like your friend." Simmons whispered in her ear. "You don't have to be alive when I have you."

Don't move don't move don't move. Camille shuddered and the knife nicked the delicate skin of her neck. On the floor, Jo lay still, no longer twitching. She was gone.

"Do you hear me?"

"Yes." Camille whispered, bile rising in her throat, filling her mouth with its acidic taste.

Jo was gone. And she was alone.

The knife stayed dangerously at her throat as a hand moved up into her robe, roaming freely over her body, making her nauseous as the creep groaned. A tongue licked her ear, making her cringe.

"You feel soooooo good." Simmons whispered. "Almost as good as your boyfriend. Will you beg like he did? Will you scream? Tell me Camille, did you like the video I sent you?"

Camille didn't answer, too repulsed and terrified to move. The knife nicked her again and blood dribbled down her neck.

"Logan enjoyed himself. I can show you what it's like, to be with a man. I will show you." The knife lowered and Camille almost sighed with relief until both hands tore at her robe and then her body, touching her all over.

"NO!" Camille screamed as he hands explored lower. She began to struggle and he spun her around to face him, slapping her so hard her head spun.

"Stupid whore!" Simmons screamed. "You are mine!"

"Stop!" Camille sobbed when he threw her to the floor, landing near Jo. She tried to crawl to her friend and he kicked her painfully in the side before grabbing hold of her hair. She gasped as pain surged through her scalp.

"You were right here." Simmons said, using her hair to drag her to a spot near the couch. "You were right here when you were with him." He let go of her hair and pushed her down on her back. Camille whimpered as he pinned her arms above her head with one hand while he used the edge of the knife to open her robe.

"Stay still or I'll cut you." Simmons warned, looking like he almost wished she would move just so he could make her bleed.

Goosebumps pebbled her exposed skin and Camille felt shamed heat flush her face while he leered down at her. A sob escaped.

"Logan didn't cry." Simmons told her evilly, fumbling with his belt. "He screamed. He screamed so fucking good! I hope you scream." His hand moved lower, roughly imitating things Logan had done only days before. Anger at the similarities…at how he could ruin such a special moment for her…erupted in her and Camille pushed away her terror.

"NO!" She yelled, twisting away from him. "I won't let you! Help me! Someone help!"

"Bitch!" Simmons growled, ceasing his intimate intrusion to grab hold of her flailing hands.

"Camille!" A voice answered her plea and hope flared up within her. But the voice sounded far away.

"You can't escape me!" Simmons said, still holding her hands as she struggled.

"Camille!" Again the voice called, so familiar but impossible. She was dead only feet away, in a growling pool of blood.

Simmons pushed her bare legs apart, positioning himself atop her. "Let's hear that scream." He sneered.

"Camille!" It was Jo. "Wake up!"

"NO!" Camille sat straight up in her bed, sweating and shaking with fear while sunlight streamed in through her window. Jo's concerned face stared back at her…so very much alive.

"Camille, holy crap, are you okay? You were screaming!" Jo told her while Camille struggled to get a grip. It hadn't been real.

A dream. She was safe. Jo was alive. Relief overwhelmed Camille and she burst into tears. She reached up, pulling her best friend into a hug. "I'm so glad you're alive!" She sobbed.

Jo raised in eyebrow. "Uh, me too? Camille, are you okay? You're shaking."

Camille managed a small nod, struggling to calm down and absorb the reality that she was safe and Jo was alive. The dream had been so real. So horribly and terribly real.

"It was just a dream." She explained to her best friend. "A nightmare. The nightmare of all nightmares. But we're okay."

Jo nodded. "You had me scared for a minute. When I heard you screaming…" She paused when her cell phone began to ring. "Hold on, its Kendall."

Camille stopped breathing. Kendall and the guys had gone with Detective Morris to search for Logan. They'd had a lead…

"Kendall?" Jo said, then listened. A look of pure joy spread over her face and Camille felt her hope rise. "We'll be there! We'll be there soon, okay? Give him a hug for us!" She ended the call and turned to her friend. "They found him Camille! They found Logan!"

The words took a second to register and then Camille allowed the sudden feeling of relief to wash over her. They had found him.

"He's okay?" She almost couldn't ask.

"He's at a hospital north of here. We'll go there. Kendall said he's pretty banged up but he's okay. He's going to be okay, Camille."

"Oh thank god." Camille whispered. "I can't believe they found him and he's safe. It's over, Jo! Its finally over!"

Jo bit her lip. "Um, Kendall said Simmons got away but he thinks the cops will find him soon. Do you want to drive up to the hospital to see Logan?"

Camille nodded as she quickly got up to get dressed. "Nothing could keep me away!" She grinned.

"Kendall said to have Brian drive us." Jo told her. "I'll go make sure he's cool with that."

Brian.

Dark images from her dream flashed in Camille's mind and she shivered, trying to push away the horrible images. Brian wasn't hacked to pieces in the hallway. Jo wasn't bleeding to death in the hallway. She had to forcibly hold back a plea to Jo not to open the apartment door. The fear was still so real. So tangible. She could almost hear the screams when the door opened. She held her breath and listened, waiting. Her bedroom suddenly felt like a tomb….she was trapped…she couldn't get out…if Simmons came through that door, she'd be stuck.

Brian. Covered in bloody gore. Lifeless eyes. Deep bloody gashes.

The scream never came.

Camille sighed with relief as she finished dressing, hating herself for being so scared. She hated feeling this way…hated the terror that hovered over her like a black cloud. When Jo came back into the room suddenly, Camille couldn't stop the flinch that earned her a confused look from her friend.

"Whoa! Overreact much? Camille, are you sure you're okay? That must have been on really freaky nightmare."

"The worst." Camille confirmed, pulling on a t-shirt. She winced when she looked in the mirror, the dark circles under her eyes standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin.

Jo watched her. "You really look horrible."

Camille laughed and grabbed a pillow to throw at Jo, who dodged it and laughed along with her.

"Thanks for that!" Camille giggled. "I can always count on you to make me feel pretty!"

"Just saying." Jo laughed. "Let's go. Brian said he'll drive us."

Camille grabbed her sweater, still unable to shake the chill that had settled over her, and followed Jo out of the apartment. Logan was safe. Simmons was on the run. The whole, horrible ordeal was over. So why did the nightmare refuse to leave her mind? And why wouldn't the goose bumps go away?

Hyde watched the bitch and her friend exit the Palmwoods on the heel of their big protector. On their way to the boy? It didn't matter. They wouldn't make it. The boy would just have to come to them. He watched the enticing way the two girls walked, their hips swaying so suggestively as they moved. Before the boy, he would have found them so alluring. The desire would have built up until it consumed him.

Now he felt nothing.

They were bait.

A means to an end.

Only thoughts of the boy could consume him now.

The boy and his blond friend. He wanted the boy back. He would get him back. Hyde followed the bitches to a car and watched them get in while the well-muscled guy got in the driver's seat. So they were smart bitches to take their bodyguard with them. A muscled, but brainless fool, used to intimidating others with his imposing size. He would be easy to take out.

The plan was already forming in his mind. Hyde just had to wait for the right moment. He got in his SUV, stolen from a pretty young whore in a town an hour outside of L.A. She'd been a disappointment, but she'd filled a need. He'd spread pieces of her body out over quite a distance. With any luck, the animals would take care of what little remained before the police could find anything.

Hyde was smart. He had the knowledge he needed from Simmons. He followed the small black car from a safe distance, biding time. The idiot driving wouldn't notice him, half a mile back on a busy freeway. And he could almost guess where they were going.

North.

To the boy. How perfect.

He glanced at his backpack, mentally cataloging the items within. Zip ties. Duct tape. And a knockout gas grenade….courtesy of Simmons. The guy has been useful, at least.

A clear stretch of road and he'd have them. It was only a matter of time.

For the umpteenth time is less than a week, Logan woke up in an unfamiliar place . This was definitely something he was getting tired of. He'd panicked briefly when he'd first opened his eyes, thinking for a moment that the tubes and wires sticking out of him were some new form of torture devised by Hyde, but he'd quickly realized he was in a hospital.

Which brought on a whole new kind of fear.

Fear that the doctor would examine him and realize the full extent of his injuries.

And then tell someone.

Logan wasn't a child. He knew the things that Hyde had done to him weren't his fault. But the guilt and shame had still burrowed its way into his head and set up shop, whispering to him that he was dirty and used and less than what he had been before…the…the…incidents. Plural. More than one incident. Which made it all worse in his shame filled mind.

Was it wrong that he wanted to keep some details of his torture to himself? What right did other people have to the intimate details of such a horrible experience? It didn't concern them. It was between him and that psychopath Hyde, who was still on the loose. If he wanted to let the guilt and shame fester in his brain until all he knew was pain and inner turmoil, then what was it to anyone else? It was his brain. His turmoil. They could mind their own damn business.

The door to his room opened and Logan shrank back against his pillows, the beginnings of a panic attack settling over him when a middle-aged man in a lab coat breezed in and fixed him with a concerned stare.

"Mr. Mitchell. Good to see you awake. I'm Dr. Loren."

Shit. The doctor. Had they already examined him? What the hell had happened while he'd been unconscious? Logan looked anywhere but at the doctor, murmuring a quiet hello as he stared as the opposite wall. He visible flinched and shrank away when the doctor began to examine the wounds on his body. Strange hands on his body…he couldn't take that. He just couldn't.

"Don't….just don't touch me." He whispered, pulling away, uncomfortable with the stranger so close to him in the empty room. He was cornered…trapped…he had no way out. "Just leave me alone. I'm fine."

"You're fine?"

Logan nodded.

"Son, I can tell you for a fact that you are not fine or anywhere even close to fine." Dr. Loren said sternly. "The wounds on your body are evidence of that."

"I was there." Logan said sullenly. "You don't have to recap."

Dr. Loren sighed. "Hmmm. I figured as much."

Logan's head shot up. "I'm sorry?"

"Given the circumstances of your injuries, your reaction isn't unexpected."

Logan paled. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Victims of sexual assault will commonly have a hard time discussing their attack with others."

"Sexual…assault?" Logan stammered. "Why would you think that?"

The doctor gave him a droll look. "Son please, let's not play this game. You've had a rough couple of days, that much is obvious. The sooner you deal with what happened, the sooner you can heal.

Logan looked away, his face flushing. "Nothing like that happened."

Dr. Loren sighed again. "You need to talk about it."

"You need to shut up!" Logan finally yelled back at the older man, frustrated with his intrusion into the private matter. "Seriously, I need to get out of here and go home."

Dr. Loren fixed him with a steady stare and Logan sank back against the pillows, growing more uncomfortable as the stare continued. Finally Dr. Loren shook his head. "You will stay here under observation for a few days. We want to make sure you don't have internal damage or infection from the wounds on your back and shoulder. Just relax. You're safe here. Your friends are in the hall, waiting to see you. We'll talk again later." He gave Logan one last sympathetic look and opened the door, stepping back as the three teenage boys in the hallway burst into the room.

Shaking his head, he quickly warned the tall brown haired boy to be careful of his leg. The kid nodded, then hobbled over to the bed of his friend, barely using his crutches. Dr. Loren knew he'd have to work with that one. He'd damage his leg if he continued to refuse the crutches.

But one battle at a time. It was time to find the Mitchell kid's guardian and have a chat.

He found her in the waiting room.

"Mrs. Knight?"

"Yes." Jennifer Knight nodded, standing to greet the doctor.

"My name is Dr. Loren. I'm treating Mr. Mitchell." He hesitated. "Uh, how about we step into an office for some privacy. We have some things to discuss."

"Okay. How is Logan? Is he okay?"

"You are his guardian, correct Mrs. Knight?"

Jennifer nodded. "His mother is on her way. She couldn't get a flight. She should be here tomorrow."

Dr. Loren frowned. "I'm not sure what I have to say can wait until tomorrow. As his acting guardian, I'd like to discuss his case with you, if that's alright."

"Of course." Jennifer said worriedly. "You can discuss anything with me."

"Let's start with his injuries." Dr. Loren said, looking at the chart in his hand.

Jennifer stared at the doctor while he relayed the long, horrible list of Logan's injuries. Her mind refused to process what she was hearing.

Burns.

Lacerations.

Evidence of electrical torture.

Beatings. Bruises. Cracked ribs.

The doctor paused and took a deep breath. He suddenly seemed unable, or unwilling, to continue. He took another deep breath and Jennifer felt her heartbeat speed up. Whatever he was hesitating over, it was bad.

"There's really no easy way to say this, Mrs. Knight, so I'll just come out and say it. Mr. Mitchell shows signs of sexual assault." The doctor finally said, raising his eyes to hers. "He is unwilling to verify our findings, but the facts are there. That boy was sexually abused very recently. Mrs. Knight, did you hear me?"

He was looking at her with concern, but with the blood rushing through her ears and the sudden pounding in her head, Jennifer wasn't sure what he was saying.

Her baby boy. Her proud genius. Hers by osmosis, if not by birth, Logan held a special place in her heart. She'd known him since preschool, when he'd befriended Kendall. He'd toddled over, stuck out his hand like a tiny adult, and introduced himself as Dr. Logan. Even then, he'd known he'd wanted to be a doctor. Over the years, she'd gotten to know him like her own son. He was proud. He was stubborn. He was driven beyond belief to succeed at whatever was important to him and he was fiercely loyal to those he loved.

"Mrs. Knight?" The doctor was staring at her. "Are you okay?"

She remembered when he'd come to her house with Kendall, his nose bloody and his eye already turning a sickly shade of black and green. They'd been about ten years old then. An older kid had been picking on him…calling him names for being smart. He'd shrugged it off, ignoring the bully. Until he'd started picking on Carlos. Called him Special Ed and made fun of him for wearing his helmet. According to Kendall, Logan had launched himself at the larger boy with such ferocity that it had stunned those around him. No one had picked on him, or any of his friends, again.

Logan was a fighter.

Her driven, proud fighter.

"Mrs. Knight? Nurse! Bring me a glass of water! Mrs. Knight, are you okay?" The doctor was getting anxious. Jennifer turned her eyes to him, her head still buzzing.

Sexually assaulted?

Her proud baby boy? Her raven haired little genius? Violated in such a horrible way?

"You're sure?" She finally managed to ask the question, hoping beyond belief that she'd heard him wrong. The nurse arrived with a glass of water, giving her a sympathetic look as she handed it to her. Did she know? Did they all know? Logan wouldn't want that.

"The evidence is there, even if Mr. Mitchell refuses to confirm my suspicions." Dr. Loren said. "This is not the first such incident I've seen."

Jennifer closed her eyes and took a calming breath, trying to force the pounding from her ears. She had to be strong for him. He wouldn't want her to know and he would be mortified that the doctor had told her. Jennifer wondered why that realization hurt her so much as pains shot through her heart. It was devastating to her that he'd been hurt in such a brutal way. It was just as devastating to her that he might not want her help. She'd taken care of his boo boos since he was small. Scraped knees. Concussions. His broken arm when he fell out of their backyard tree.

"Mrs. Knight, I would like for you to try to talk to him, if you feel you're able. You're his guardian and I'm warning you, he needs to discuss what happened to him. The psychological repercussions of such an assault can last a lifetime if he doesn't deal with them immediately. Even with therapy, he may never truly recover from the emotional scars this abuse will leave."

"Talk to him?" Jennifer wasn't sure he'd want that. Logan had always been private. He bottled up his emotions and hid them from those around him.

The doctor nodded. "It would be best for him. Trust me."

This wasn't a scraped knee. This wasn't even a broken bone, though he had those, according to the doctor in front of her. This was a wound she couldn't see. She couldn't treat this with a brightly colored band aid and a kiss on the forehead.

Jennifer stood up. "Okay. I'm ready." She headed for the door as the doctor stood up to follow her out. She turned and looked at him, her eyes rimmed with unshed tears and pleading. "What do I say?"

The doctor offered her a gentle smile. "Say you'll listen to him. And maybe he'll start talking."

Jennifer nodded, heading for Logan's room. He'd sacrificed himself, saved so many lives just days before when the psychopath had threatened the diners at the café. He'd sacrificed himself to save Camille. Without warning, Jennifer felt an intense anger at those people and even at Camille, though she didn't know why. It wasn't their fault that this had happened to Logan. They weren't to blame. But he'd allowed that lunatic to take him, to protect those around him.

Her brave Logan.

Always protecting those he loved. Always taking on the bully, despite the fat lips and black eyes.

She reached his room, her hand hesitating on the door handle. Please let him talk, she silently prayed. And at the same time, she prayed he wouldn't talk. She wasn't sure she was strong enough to listen to what he had to say.

"I need to talk to him too." Detective Morris walked over to her, looking solemn. "I need his statement for my report."

"I'll see what I can do." Jennifer told him. "He may not even talk to me."

She opened the door and walked in.

The other boys were there and she wasn't surprised to see them. She knew they would be where Logan was…surrounding him with their strength and protection. Logan was joking halfheartedly with Carlos, the smile on his face strained…forced…if the boys noticed, they pretended not to, for the sake of Logan's pride, no doubt. They knew something was wrong. They just didn't know how wrong things were.

"Boys, please leave." Jennifer said, looking at each of them steadily. Carlos looked down at Logan, his expression confused, though he nodded and headed for the door without a word of complaint. James patted Logan's shoulder and hobbled after his friend, moving awkwardly on his new crutches. Only Kendall looked at her with defiance, his entire body language telling her that he didn't want to leave.

"Mom." He began, but Jennifer just held up a hand to stop him, her look stern.

"No." She said. "I don't want to hear it, Kendall. I need you to leave."

He didn't move. His arms crossed over his chest as he stood protectively over Logan, instinctively knowing that whatever she wanted him to leave for would hurt his friend.

"Now, Kendall Knight." She said firmly, fixing him with her 'mother' stare. He flinched at the tone of her voice and swung his head down to look at his friend, who stared at the pair with dread.

"It's okay, Kendall." Logan said softly, his eyes moving to Mrs. Knight. Kendall nodded finally and reluctantly left the pair alone, closing the door behind him. Jennifer watched him go, feeling horrible for making him leave. When the door closed she returned her attention to the young man in the bed. Her little man, though he was grown now.

Logan knew when he saw her face that the doctor had told her. He'd never seen Mrs. Knight look so utterly lost and devastated and without warning, tears swelled up in his eyes. The thought that he was causing her such pain was more than his fragile emotions could handle. He watched her close the door gently behind her before she walked to his bed to take his hand in hers.

He wiped angrily at the tears with his other hand and sunk down lower into his bed, hoping to hide from the inevitable confrontation in front of him.

"Don't hide from me, Logan." Mrs. Knight chided gently, squeezing his hand. "Talk to me. We've always been able to talk."

The tears were back and Logan ignored them, letting them slide one by one down his cheeks. "Not about this." He whispered, turning his head away from her, his heart constricting painfully at the hurt look she tried in vain to mask. He hated hurting her. She was his second mother. Few people on the planet knew him better than this woman next to him did.

She squeezed his hand again and the warmth of her hand was comforting on his clammy skin. She reached over and touched his brow, pushing a stray piece of dark hair away from his forehead, like she used to do when he'd been younger. He'd always found the gesture endearing and he leaned into her touch as more tears rolled down his face.

"Oh Logan." Mrs. Knight whispered. "What did he do to you?"

The shuddering sob that he answered her with shattered her heart into a million, tiny pieces. It sounded so broken and devastatingly lost that she couldn't help but immediately pull the wounded boy into a tight hug. He resisted only briefly before settling into her embrace, his body shaking with the force of his sobs.

Logan felt her arms tighten around him even more as he struggled to reign in the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. His shoulders shook as he struggled to gulp in a breath while tears spilled from his eyes, soaking Mrs. Knight's shirt. He winced when she touched his back, the pain from that touch making him cry even more. Everything hurt. He couldn't even get hugged without suffering. He was a mess.

He would always be a mess. There was no way he could come back from this.

"You can come back from this." Mrs. Knight whispered, patting his shoulder gently. Logan hadn't known he'd said that out loud. He was that screwed up, he couldn't even contain his thoughts to his head anymore. He was broken, inside and out.

"Don't you dare allow that man to break you, Logan Mitchell." Mrs. Knight admonished, pushing his chin up to stare into his eyes. "You are stronger than that."

Logan turned his head away from her. "I don't think I am." It hurt him deeply to admit that to her, but it was the truth. He couldn't come back from this. There was no way. It hurt too much. "You don't know what he did. What she did."

She? Who was she? "Logan, you can talk to me. Tell me anything. I want to help you."

"I…I just can't say it out loud, Momma Knight." Logan admitted. "I just can't. The things that happened in that basement…should stay in that basement."

"Logan, the doctor told me what he found when they examined you." Jennifer told him, hating the look that crossed his face. The shame. The loathing.

"He had no right."

"I'm your guardian. He had every right."

Anger flared in his eyes as he turned to her. "So you want to know what happened? He beat the shit out of me!" Logan's voice rose as pent up anger consumed him, misguided as it was. "He tortured me! Whipped me! Hacked up a poor old man and threw pieces of him into the cabin where I hid like a scared little girl! He…he…" Logan broke off with a sob.

Jennifer reached out to touch his shoulder only to have him flinch away. "Logan, it's okay…"

"Okay? Okay? No, it's not okay! He kidnapped a girl and allowed her to rape me while he watched, then strangled her and left her in the basement! She kept staring at me! Accusing me with those dead eyes! She wouldn't fucking quit staring at me!" Logan was lost in his own anger now, practically shouting. Jennifer just sat quietly, listening to him vent.

The part about the girl…she hadn't known that.

"Why wouldn't she quit staring at me? I was so angry at her for using me like she did! And all she was trying to do was stay alive! But then she smirked and laughed and used me like a dog and you know what? I don't know if I would have helped her even if I hadn't been tied up! I'm not nothing! I'm not worthless like she thought!"

"No, you're not." Jennifer agreed, though Logan barely seemed to hear her.

"And then he got his fucking jollies off of me! He used me like a common whore! And everything fucking hurts right now and I wanted to die in that basement and now he's fucking loose somewhere and I'll never be safe and he'll always be there, lurking, waiting!" Logan was breathing heavily and Jennifer was suddenly worried that he'd hyperventilate. "And you should have seen the room I was in! Imagine the scariest freakin room and it was worse than that! WORSE! And I was alone! Except for Susan…Susan was there FUCKING STARING AT ME!"

"Logan…"

"WHAT!"

He flinched when she pulled back away from him, surprised by the tone he'd used.

"I..shit…I'm so sorry, Momma Knight." Logan stammered, ashamed. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Jennifer closed her eyes, trying to absorb just how hurt her young man was. "It's okay, honey. You're not alone here. I'll help you. Your friends will help you."

"What?" Logan looked up, alarmed. "They can't know. They can never know. Please Momma Knight!" He pleaded, his eyes wary. "Please. I don't want them to know I was weak."

"Logan Mitchell, they are your best friends." Jennifer reminded him. "You boys are like brothers. Let them help you through this. They would never think you are weak. You are the strongest, bravest young man that I know."

Logan looked away, unable to accept what she was saying as true. He wasn't brave. He couldn't shake the fear that Hyde would return for him. Brave people didn't piss in their pants every time the door opened, thinking it was the boogey monster coming to ass fuck them again. And strong? Not strong enough to keep something so horrible from happening to him. He hadn't been able to keep Hyde from raping him. Or even Susan. He was weak.

"You stop that right now!" Jennifer reprimanded gently. "I can see that look on your face. Stop thinking such horrible things about yourself. Logan sweetie, you saved Camille. You saved countless strangers at that café. That little girl and her mother are forever in your debt. You sacrificed yourself to unspeakable horrors to save innocent people around you. Those are the actions of a brave person and you should consider yourself a hero because I do. And so does everyone else."

"Heroes don't cry like little girls." Logan whispered, wiping at the tears in his eyes.

"Yes they do. Please let us help you."

Logan nodded, resigned. He could never refuse Mrs. Knight. She was too special to him. Too dear. "I'll try."

"And you need to talk to Detective Morris. He's waiting outside your room for a statement."

Logan sighed. "This is never going to end."

"It's important, Logan. Both to catch this creep and to keep you safe." Jennifer argued. She squeezed his cold hand one more time, giving him a small smile.

"Ready?"

Logan flinched, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, then gave her a slight nod of his head.

"Alone, please." He whispered and Jennifer nodded.

"Okay." With a sad sigh of her own, she turned to leave.

"Thank you, Momma Knight." Said so quietly she barely heard him.

"I'll always be here for you, Logan." She told the hurting boy. "Always."

"I know." Logan answered. "I love my mother, but I'm glad you are here with me."

"Do this for you." Jennifer said softly and he nodded.

"And for all the ones who can't speak for themselves, because of him." Jennifer could hear a new determination in his voice as she left his room, finding Detective Morris hovering outside the door.

"He's ready to talk now, Detective." She said shakily. "But go easy on him or you'll answer to me."

Morris nodded his understanding as he opened the door. He didn't like his odds going up against the petite redhead. She'd kill him. He didn't like his chances against the three teenage boys, the producer, his assistant, the crazy billionaire and the million teenage girls either. This boy was well protected. He gently closed the door behind him and approached the bed, aware that Logan was watching him with wary eyes. He pulled up a chair and sat down, almost dreading what he would hear.

Of all the cases he'd handled in his career and all the victims he'd interviewed, this was the first time he felt personally responsible for their pain. If he'd figured things out faster. If he'd realized his partner was to blame. If he'd found the kid faster.

If he hadn't fucked up royally by letting Simmons…or Hyde…or whoever the fuck he was…get away.

"I'm sorry, kid." He said. "I should have known."

Logan shook his head. "No one knew."

"He was my partner. It was my job to know."

Logan just looked away, suddenly interested in the ceiling.

"You ready to tell me what happened?"

"Would rather not." Logan answered quietly.

"I need information, Logan. To build a case against him…get him off the streets. Save lives."

"You can't even find him." Logan pointed out irritably.

"I will."

"Before he finds me again?" Fear leaked into the question, making Morris cringe.

"Logan, you're well-guarded here. He won't be able to get to you."

"Can't be guarded all the time." He took a deep breath, then turned to regard Morris. "Where should I start?"

Morris started his recorder. "What happened after you were taken from the café?"

Logan chewed on his bottom lip while he thought over his answer. A huge part of him still wanted to keep the worst details a secret. He really did not want anyone to know just how horrible that basement had been. Or just how scared he had been. How he'd wanted to die while Susan stared at him with her dead, accusing eyes. How she'd used him…how she'd died. How the old hermit guy had died because of him. If he'd just stayed away from that cabin that old guy would still be alive. He'd live forever with that guilt.

The feel of the whip. The cigar burns. The electric shock. The…incidents…that he never ever wanted to talk about. If he didn't talk about it, it didn't happen. Right? The cabin burning down around him while he sat at the top of the stairs, knowing he would die. The utter terror that he would never forget when he watched the explosion on the TV screen. He'd thought his friends were dead. How he was afraid to eat because Hyde had threatened to feed him Susan.

Logan looked at the tray of untouched food next to his bed and shuddered. He was terrified that he would never be able to eat again without thinking about that moment…about Susan…

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to face Camille. He'd had sex with another girl. He was tainted. Dirty. She deserved better than him.

Their first time was supposed to be together. They'd promised each other.

Morris had asked him what had happened after he'd been kidnapped from the café.

His life as he knew it had ended. That was what had happened. End of story.

And despite his reluctance, Logan found himself answering the question. Maybe Momma Knight was right…maybe it would help to say the words out loud.

When Logan started talking, Morris could only sit there and stare at him, trying his best to mask the horror he felt at what had been done to the young man in front of him. Some of the injuries he knew about. He could see the evidence on his body. But holy shit…the rest of the stuff? It was straight out of a horror movie.

Chopped up bodies. Torture filled dungeons. Running for your life through a dark, dense forest. Sexual abuse on all kinds of levels. And his partner…the multiple personalitied psychotic mastermind of the entire thing.

Morris suddenly wished he'd blown that son of a bitch's brains out when he'd had the chance back at the cabin. The next time, he wouldn't aim for the asshole's shoulder. A misguided sense of loyalty wouldn't play a factor in the outcome of their next meeting. The partner he knew was dead. Hyde had killed him. It was time for the rest of the personalities to join him.

Kendall paced outside Logan's room, waiting for Detective Morris to leave. He'd watched his mom leave and he couldn't erase her expression from his mind. That fact that she'd brushed past him, waving off any attempts to talk, worried him more than anything. His mom never ignored him. Never. And there had been tears in her eyes.

Logan was okay, right? Sure, he'd seen evidence of abuse…of…torture…Kendall shuddered as he thought the word. His best friend has been tortured. For days. Kendall couldn't even begin to imagine what horrors Logan had faced in that cabin. He wasn't sure he wanted to.

But was there something else to it? Something worse?

But I'm not a girl.

Logan had said those words, days before, in their apartment when they'd been talking to Simmons about the stalker.

And what had Simmons said in response?

He'd said that to some people, that didn't matter. Obsessions developed, regardless of gender.

Kendall's stomach clenched painfully as he slid to the floor in a daze.

No. Please no.

The door opened and Morris walked out, looking shaken. He closed the door behind him and fixed Kendall with a stare, taking in his pained and ashen face.

"Whatever you're thinking happened to your friend," Morris began, "the truth is ten times worse than that."

Kendall put his head in his hands and rested on his knees, trying to block out the world. Not Logan. Not him. He looked up when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"He's going to need you and your friends. Now more than ever. Trust me…I've seen this too many times. Without support, this ordeal will eat him alive."

Kendall nodded, standing up. He would be strong for his friend.

"How is the paramedic?" He asked the detective, suddenly remembering the other man. Their departure from the cabin had been so chaotic after Simmons had escaped. Or Hyde. Or whatever he was called. Kendall still wasn't sure.

Morris shook his head. "He didn't make it. The bastard got him directly in a main artery. He died in surgery."

"He needs to be stopped." Kendall said angrily.

"Go take care of your friend. I'll take care of Simmons." Morris started to walk away, then paused. "And when I find that asshole, we won't need lawyers and courts. I'll make sure of that."

"I don't want to alarm you ladies, but we have someone following us."

Brian's calm warning interrupted Jo and Camille's conversation and Camille instantly paled as she twisted around in her seat.

"The SUV." Brian said. Not that he had to . The SUV was the only other car on the remote, tree lined road.

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Could be a coincidence." She said. "It is a main road heading north."

Brian shook his head, still watching the car in his mirror. "Don't think so. He has been with us for over an hour."

"Do you think its Simmons?" Camille whispered. "I can't get a good look at the driver."

"I don't know." Brian admitted. "Whoever it is, he's good. He's staying just far enough away to make IDing him impossible."

Jo took out her phone. "Should we call the police?"

"No can do." Brian explained. "No cell service here. I already checked on my phone. We're on our own. You girls will have to be brave for me."

Both girls slid closer to each other in the backseat and nodded.

"If this creep tries something, we have nowhere to go. The thick line of trees on both sides of the road are boxing us in."

"What does that mean?" Camille asked fearfully, still staring at the pursuing driver.

"It means that if we can't outrun this guy, he may hit us or force us to stop or crash. In that case, I want you both to get out of the car and run into the woods. I'll hold him off." Brian reached into the glove box and pulled out his glock, checking to make sure it was loaded.

Jo paled as the seriousness of the situation hit her. "Oh my god."

"You'll be fine." Brian reassured them. "This isn't my first rodeo. Camille, keep an eye on the bastard and tell me if he speeds up when we do." He increased pressure on the gas pedal and the car jerked forward, pulling away from the SUV.

"He's speeding up?" Camille yelled and Brian cursed.

"He's definitely our guy. Hang on girls, we're going to try to outrun him." He increased speed, cursing again when the SUV continued to gain ground. The car was no match for the greater horsepower of the larger vehicle. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his eyes darted to the mirror, watching the progress of the other car. He was close. Too close. He could spot a hand sticking out of the driver side window.

Shit.

"Heads down!" He screamed as the back window exploded into tiny shards of glass around them and he tightened his grip on the wheel as the girls screamed.

"He's shooting at us!" Camille yelled.

"Stay down!" Brian ordered, lowering his own head as much as possible. Another explosion and his side mirror exploded. "Fuck!" He stepped on the gas, hoping for more speed, but they were topped out. They couldn't go any faster.

But the SUV could. Brian knew from experience how fast those could go. They were royally fucked. He would have to try to outmaneuver the bastard. Seconds later his back tire took a bullet and burst, sending the car fishtailing out of control. He held on to the wheel, fighting for control.

"Brace yourselves!" He yelled to the girls, pressing on the breaks to slow them down. Trees rushed past them as they spun around, then flipped…once…twice…end over end…the world dizzyingly passing by them before they landed, blessedly right side up, against the wall of trees and their world went black.

The first thing Camille noticed when she opened her eyes was that she wasn't dead. Yet. The small space was filling with smoke but she seemed unhurt. She looked to Jo, relieved to see her friend looking back at her. Aside from a small cut on her cheek, she seemed okay. The front of the car had taken most of the impact.

Brian.

Camille unhooked her seatbelt, wincing as her hip protested the movement…maybe she had gotten hurt a little…and looked at the bodyguard. He groaned when she touched his shoulder. He was alive. Hurt. But alive.

"Go." He groaned. "He'll be coming for you." He coughed and blood sprayed the steering wheel. "Run into the trees."

"No." Camille argued. "We will all go. We just have to get you free."

"Camille, I'm stuck." Jo said next to her, struggling in her seat. "My seatbelt won't release."

A car door slammed, much to close to them, and Camille whipped around to look out the broken window. Simmons walked slowly towards them, taking his time, seemingly in no hurry. She couldn't take her eyes off the handgun he carried.

"He's coming." She told Jo, who increased her frantic struggles with the belt.

"Go Camille!" Jo said when she realized her struggles were futile. "He's after you. Get out of here!"

"I won't leave you!"

"He'll kill you!"

"Gun." Brian moaned. "Can you…reach…my gun?" Every word seemed to weaken him and Camille knew he wouldn't last long without medical attention. She spied the gun on the floor in front, smashed up against the door. If she could just reach it…

"He's almost here! Please run Camille!" Jo sobbed quietly.

"I can get the gun!" Camille leaned over the seat, reaching." Almost….almost…her fingers brushed against the barrel…she was so close.

Jo screamed suddenly and Camille jumped back, her terror overpowering her when she saw Simmons standing outside the driver side door, his gun pointed at Brian.

"Tsk tsk. He's not looking so good, I'm afraid." An evil grin slowly spread across his face as Brian stared defiantly up at him, breathing shallowly. "Guess I should help him out."

"NO!" Camille screamed. The gun fired, the sound deafening as she watched Brian's head explode in front of her. Bits of gore sprayed her and Jo, painted them a grotesque red color. Beside Camille, Jo began to hyperventilate as the gun turned on her. Camille watched, wide eyed, while Simmons leered at them.

"Don't look so scared." He smirked at Jo. "I need both of you alive."

"Why?" Camille whispered. "Please just leave us alone."

Simmons lowered his gun and pulled a small object from his pocket.

"It's not you I need, bitch." He pulled a pin and tossed the object into the car with them. "You two are bait. I want your boyfriends."

The girls coughed as smoke filled the car, overpowering them. Hyde waited for the knockout gas to take effect and the whores slumped down into the seat.

Now he could work at his leisure, with no struggles. He checked the road to make sure no cars were coming and pried open the door near Camille, letting the gas filter out. When it was clear, he leaned over her to retrieve the blond girl's discarded cell phone.

"Say cheese." He smirked, snapping a picture of the unconscious girls. "Perfect. They'll love it. The bits of brain on your clothes are a nice touch."

The rattling of an approaching car made him pause and he quickly bent down, as if helping the victims of the crash. A middle aged couple in a pickup truck pulled up, looking concerned.

The driver rolled down his window. "Do you need some help?"

Hyde gave the man his most charming smile. "Already called the police. They are on their way. Thanks though."

"That crash looks bad." The woman said, undoing her seatbelt. "I'm a nurse. I can help until the medics arrive."

"I think everyone is fine, ma'am. Your help isn't necessary."

The woman frowned slightly at him, opening her door and walking around the truck. "Don't be silly. It's what I'm trained for."

Hyde rolled his eyes as the woman peered into the driver's seat, spotting Brian. She faltered, stumbling back. "I don't think he's fine." She gasped.

Hyde pulled out his gun, aimed and fired, hitting her directly between her surprised eyes. Before the husband had time to react, he turned and shot , hitting him in the chest. The man slumped forward, landing on the horn.

"Perfect." Hyde sighed to himself. "Fucking do-gooders." He pushed the man over, off the horn to stop the annoying wailing. Now he had to hurry before someone else came along. He picked up the stupid wife, threw her into the bed of the truck, and slid into the driver's seat. A small opening in the trees offered some concealment and he drove the truck in, off the road. If someone drove by quickly, they might never notice it.

The voices told him to hurry up. Enraged, Hyde told them to shut the fuck up. Who the hell did they think they were ordering around?

He was Hyde. He was in charge. He was invincible.

And it was time for him to be alone. The voices thought he was weak without them. But he did things that made even them squeamish. He was too strong for them now and if they mocked him one more time, he'd kill them like he'd killed Simmons. Like he'd killed the fucking do-gooders in the truck.

And like he'd kill anyone else that got in his fucking way!

He roared, pent up frustration almost overpowering him. Almost. The voices quietly preached calm and Hyde allowed their hushed murmurs to soothe him. He couldn't get worked up. Not if he wanted the boy back. And he so fucking wanted his sweet ass back! He could still picture him, that second time, screaming and writhing and pleading beneath him. He would have him again. And then he'd take that arrogant blond boy's ass too. And beat him. And burn him. And make him bleed. Just like he'd done to the boy in the basement.

The girls would be his bait. Consumed with his plans and filled with a sudden, overwhelming lust, he returned to the car and hauled the unconscious girls into the back of the SUV. His lust consumed him as he stared at the two prone figures.

They were his. He could use them to satisfy his needs. Who knew how long it would be before he had the boys. He moved to the blond, who'd landed with her small ass up in the air. It would only take a second. He was so close already.

So close.

Hyde shook his head, pulling away from the girl. No. It wasn't time for her yet. Not yet. He'd take her in front of the boy, then kill her. That was the plan.

But damn it, he needed relief! He looked around, calculating his options. The bodyguard was still in the front seat and he wouldn't object to Hyde playing with his ass. Even without a head, the man's body was hard and well-muscled, it wouldn't be hard for Hyde to use him. But when he tried to get the door open, he found it stuck. After a few unsuccessful pulls, Hyde gave up and looked around for a new option.

And suddenly remembered the wife in the truck.

Still warm. And with that lovely third eye now.

She would do. He wandered over, quickly freeing himself from his pants. Within seconds, he was banging into the woman's prone body, grunting heavily in the quiet of the isolated road. That someone could drive by at any time and see him only added to his lust and he came with a yell, giving the woman one last look of disgust as he pulled out of her.

By the looks of her, she was probably a better fuck dead than she'd been when she was alive. He'd done the husband a favor by shooting him. Poor bastard. Chuckling to himself, Hyde started the SUV and drove away, heading south. Back to L.A.

An hour from the crash site, he found an abandoned gas station, boarded up and overrun with weeds, and pulled in. The trap was perfect. The boy would be so scared. But he would come. He would have to come. And he'd bring his blond friend with him. Hyde closed his eyes, savoring the images running through his mind.

He'd start with his pet, reminding him who was boss. Use his sweet ass in front of his friend. Of course it would be brutal and rough and the boy would scream for him to stop. Hyde smiled. Then he'd use whips on the blond, punishing him for his arrogance. And the blond would scream. The girls could watch. Hyde didn't mind an audience. In fact, he loved audiences. Maybe they would scream too.

But he was getting ahead of himself. First he had to show the boys what he'd taken from them. Scrolling through the list of contacts, he found the smiling picture of the blond boy…Kendall…and typed out a text, including the picture he'd taken.

"You girls okay back there?" He smirked at the unconscious passengers and hit 'SEND', his anticipation building to an almost painful level as he imagined the moment the blond got the text. Was the boy with him? The phone chimed and Hyde almost came in his pants, he was so giddy. The voices told him to calm down and focus.

Only one thing kept him focused. "You girls don't mind, do you?" He asked as he rubbed himself through his jeans. What he wouldn't give to have one of them wake up. He groaned softly, reading the response.

**YOU HAVE OUR ATTENTION.**

**AND YOUR WHORES**. Hyde typed back quickly.

**WHAT DO U WANT?**

**YOU. AND THE BOY**. Hyde responded eagerly. He could almost imagine the panic on the boys' faces. He hoped they were scared.

Kendall showed the response to Logan, who took a deep breath, trying to overcome his building terror. The picture had told him everything. Hyde had them. Camille and Jo. He'd already known what Hyde would ask for in exchange for not harming them. He'd known Hyde would never give up. The obsession wouldn't let him.

Game, set and match went to the lunatic. There was no other option.

Kendall's phone pinged in quick succession, signaling more messages. None of them were good.

**NO COPS OR THE BLOND DIES FIRST. PAINFULLY.**

**YOU KNOW I'LL DO IT LOGAN.**

**YOU'VE SEEN ME DO IT.**

**YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'LL DO TO CAMILLE.**

Logan swallowed, his mouth suddenly painfully dry as he read the messages on Kendall's phone. He knew what Hyde would do to Camille.

"Logan?" Kendall asked, his fingers perched over the phone, ready to respond. "What do we do?"

"What can we do?" Logan answered him. "He has them. He'll kill them if we don't do what he wants."

"He said no cops."

"We'll have to sneak out of here."

Kendall looked at him. "Are you sure you can do this? After everything you went through?"

Logan nodded, his mind returning him to that horrible cabin and the hell he'd went through. He could go through that again, for Camille. If it meant keeping her safe.

"Do it." He told Kendall, a plan already forming in his mind. This time he was ready.

**DONE. YOU HAVE US.**

Kendall was sweating with fear when he hit 'SEND', giving the lunatic what he wanted. He'd never been so terrified in his entire life. He and Logan were going to willingly throw themselves into hell.

But there was no other choice. He just hoped they'd come out alive.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Geez, I SUCK at angst! Please remember to review! And thanks to everyone who nags me to update : ) I hate to confirm that nagging makes me update, but yeah, it totally does. I sometimes forget that even though I know how the story will play out, you guys don't. As long as people are still reading and liking the story, I'll try to update faster. If it seems like no one is reading, then I don't really try hard to write something. Know what I mean? Thanks for reading : )**

***Chapter 17*: Chapter 17**

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews, positive responses and lovable nagging :D I scrapped everything else I had previously written for this chapter and wrote this all today. I hope it doesn't suck. Enjoy! (I also proof read this in about 15 minutes, so there may be some errors…sorry about that. I try to catch them all).**

**(Oh, quick story…it's really creepy…so I was just getting out of the shower and I walked out into the kitchen and one of the stove burners was on! All by itself! And a dish towel was right next to the burner! And I flashed back to the last chapter…the Camille dream sequence….and I honestly creeped myself out! Can you believe it? I creeped myself out! Score! I've never actually creeped myself out before. Turns out my roommate had been making breakfast for herself and had accidentally left the burner on, but wow…for a second there I was like holy crap!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush. I thought I did once, but turns out it was just another dream.**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Kendall sat down on Logan's bed and tried to control his racing heart. "Okay, so on a scale of one to ten, just how fucked are we?"

Logan flinched at Kendall's choice of words and sighed. "Uh, I'd say we're at an eleven and still climbing."

"Shit." Kendall said, putting his head in his hands. "Shit shit shit! How could this happen?"

Another message pinged on Kendall's phone and he glanced at it. "Okay. Okay. We have an address for the meet. Wow, this is real. This is really going to happen."

Logan sat up straighter, going to work on removing his IVs. It was delicate work and he took his time, removing each tube slowly, grabbing some gauze from his nightstand to stop the resulting bleeding. Kendall stared at him, horrified.

"What are you doing?"

Monitors beeped around Logan and he reached over and turned them off, stopping the annoying alarms. "We've only got a small window of time before someone comes in here to check on me. We have to be gone by then."

"So we're just going to…what? Leave? Just like that? Not tell anyone?"

Logan looked at him. "What else would you suggest we do? Hyde has the girls. You have no idea what he'll do to them, but I do! It's not just about him killing them, Kendall. There are worse things he can do to them besides kill them. Believe me."

Kendall looked at his friend closely, taking in the slightly crazed look in his eyes…the pale color of his skin. He appeared to be on the edge of doing something crazy.

Like going out to meet the psychopath he'd just escaped from.

No sane person did that. Unless your name was Logan. Then you did it twice.

"You don't have to come." Logan told him, standing up slowly and reaching for his clothes. "I would rather do this alone."

"You're not alone." Kendall argued. "We're in this together. I'm just not sure what 'this' is."

"This is us going out, finding the girls and ending this nightmare once and for all." Logan said firmly. "I'm not going to hide from this guy anymore."

"No one would blame you if you wanted to hide." Kendall said quietly.

"Kendall, you have no idea just how badly I want to hide right now." Logan shook his head. "But I promised Camille that asshole wouldn't touch her and I'm going to go save her. And Jo."

"Save Jo from who?" Carlos asked, walking into the room, startled to see Logan out of bed and getting dressed. James hobbled in behind him, still grumbling about stupid crutches and annoying doctors. He froze when he saw his friends looking so distraught.

"Uh, what is going on here?" He asked. "Why do you guys look like you've just seen a ghost?"

"They do look really pale." Carlos observed.

Kendall looked at Logan, who nodded slightly as he finished dressing. "Show them. They have a right to know."

"A right to know what? You guys are scaring me." Carlos said, grabbing Kendall's phone and scanning the contents. "What is this? Oh god…oh no…." He sat down on the bed, his face going ashen.

"What? Carlos, what the hell is going on?" James demanded, grabbing the phone from his friend. "Oh shit. Is this for real? Tell me this isn't real."

Logan nodded. "It's real. He has them. He wants us."

"You're not going." James told him firmly. Logan just sighed.

"Of course we're going. What would you do, if it were you? You'd go save them too."

"I know." James admitted. "And I know you guys have to go. But you're not going alone."

"Message says alone." Kendall reminded him. "We can't take the chance that the girls will get hurt if we disobey his orders."

"Then tell Morris! Get help! You guys can't do this alone." Carlos begged, his eyes pleading. "We just go you back, Logan. We won't lose you again."

"No." James said, shaking his head in disbelief. "No no no HELL NO!" He threw his crutches to the ground in anger and ran a hand through his hair. "No! I won't let you do this. Not alone! You are not putting yourself in his hands again. Do you have any idea what we went through, trying to find you?"

Logan looked at him. "Do you have any idea what I went through WAITING for you to find me? You don't know what he's capable of. What he can do. You just don't know." Logan trailed off, looking down at his feet.

"Loges." Carlos said, standing up and moving towards him. "You can talk to us. You know that right?"

Logan moved away, out of his friend's reach. "Yeah. Of course. When this is all over."

Kendall didn't believe him for a second. "Logan…."

"When this is over." Logan said more forcefully. "I can't do this now when the girls are in danger. Please, guys. Just let it drop for now."

"Okay." James sighed. "So what are we going to do? How do we handle this? We can't tell Morris, but you guys can't do this alone."

Logan shrugged. "We have until tonight to get to that address. If we don't show up, he hurts the girls." He looked around the room. "And I have to get out of this room before Momma Knight, Doctor Evil and his nurse squad from Hell, or Detective Morris stops me."

"Nurse squad from Hell?" James asked.

Logan shuddered. "Please don't make me explain."

"Okay then. Nuff said."

"We need a plan." Said Kendall. "We can't just go into this winging it."

Logan shook his head. "I'm afraid we don't have much choice. If we show up with help, Hyde kills the girls. He said as much in his messages. Kendall and I will have to do this alone."

"Without us?" James whispered.

"We can't risk it, Jamie."

Carlos looked like he was about to protest before finally nodding. "Then we can at least help you get out of the hospital."

"And we need a car."

Carlos looked at the table next to Logan's bed and a small smile spread across his face. "Ride covered. Detective Morris forgot to take his car keys with him."

James hobbled across the room to retrieve his discarded crutches, frowning. "I don't like this. You have no plan. You have no backup. Nothing good will come of this. Why don't we just tell Morris and he can go to the address Hyde gave you and arrest that asshole and end this once and for all?"

"Because Hyde will be ready for that and the girls will die. He's smart. He will have a plan for that."

"Well, I don't like it." James muttered. "You can't do this without a solid plan."

"I didn't say I didn't have a plan." Logan winced as he bent over to put on his shoes. "And we're all going to have to work together to make it work."

"Okay…good…" James nodded. "Let's do this then."

Five minutes ago, Camille had opened her eyes and realized she was in hell.

That was the only explanation for what she was seeing.

And she was freaking out.

"Jo!" She whispered again, wishing she could get to her friend to make sure she was okay. She'd been whispering her name for the past four minutes…the first minute had been spend hyperventilating…but so far the blond had not responded. Her head was slumped down against her chest, her arms bound behind her and hooked to the cement wall. Her clothes were dirty…there was still blood on her cheek from the accident.

But she was breathing. And Camille was thankful for that.

Camille had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. It was impossible to tell. The room they were in was a windowless concrete and brick nightmare. They were chained in the corner of the large room, where Camille had a wonderful view of everything the room had to offer. It looked like something out of a horror movie. Worse than a horror movie. Directors for horror movies would be appalled at some of the things she saw.

Camille had a great imagination. It was one of the things that made her a good method actress. And the things she was imagining…oh god…

"JO!" She tried, raising her voice a bit. "Please Jo…wake up." The last part came out in a sob as Camille felt frustration and terror threaten to overwhelm her.

Implements of….torture? she wasn't sure she wanted to use that word…lined the walls in neat little rows. Very methodical. Very thought out. Very OCD. Everything grouped together. Easy to find.

Camille was pretty sure they were in a warehouse of some sort. And someone had spent a lot of time and energy outfitting it to suit his horrific needs.

"JO!" Louder even, though she was scared Simmons would hear her and come in at any minute. "WAKE UP!"

Had Logan been in a room similar to this? She hoped not.

Jo moved, her head rolling to the side as she struggled to overcome the effects of whatever gas Simmons had used to knock them out. A groan escaped as she opened her eyes.

"What the? Where am I?" Jo whispered, realizing with a start that her hands were bound behind her back. Her eyes snapped open as she began to panic.

"Jo, calm down!" Camille hissed. "You have to be quiet! He might hear you."

Jo turned to Camille, her eyes wide with fright. "Camille, where are we? Oh my god! What is this place? We have to get out of here!"

"I don't know where we are." Camille admitted, focusing on her friend. Anything to keep from seeing the items in the room. The chains. Cages. Whips and knives. A table covered in red stains…blood stains? Camille didn't want to know.

"He'll kill us!" Jo was looking around wildly, having her freak-out. Camille understood…she'd done the same thing only minutes ago. "Oh my god, he's going to kill us!"

"Not yet." Camille told her, trying to..what?...reassure her? Was that reassuring, knowing the madman wouldn't kill you quickly? "He would have killed us already. He wants us alive."

"We can't be here…we have to get out of here." Jo said, struggling with the chains around her wrists. She pulled, cringing as the metal cut into the sensitive skin. "I can't get my hands free."

"Let me try." Camille said, pulling on her own chains. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, pulling harder still. If she could only get her hands free, they could get away. Maybe Simmons wasn't nearby. Maybe they could get out of the room of doom before he returned. Liquid warmth spread across her skin and Camille knew her arms were bleeding…the metal had cut her. She used the liquid to lubricate her skin and pulled even harder, feeling one wrist slip.

"Keep trying!" Jo encouraged, still pulling at her own chains. "Camille, keep going!"

"I'm trying!" Camille said between clenched teeth. "It's slipping…Ow! I think I almost got it…almost…almost…" Geez, but her wrist was hurting! The chain was stuck at the largest part of her hand, right above her thumb joint. She couldn't get it free…she kept pulling, feeling muscle tear in her shoulder as she pulled too hard, wrenching the joint too far. She ignored it. She had to get free.

Her hand popped free of the chain and Camille fell forward, caught off guard.

Holy shit, one of her hands was free!

"Camille! You did it!" Jo said, staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Hurry! Before he comes here!"

The blood on her freed hand almost made Camille gag as she began to pull on her other wrist. So much blood! It was all over the chains…all over her hands…

"Hurry, Camille!" Jo encouraged. "Please hurry!"

"Almost….almost…god, this hurts! I can't do it!"

"Yes you can! Just keep pulling! You're so close!"

"Please…" Camille prayed, pulling even harder…so hard she thought her wrist would break. "Please…"

Her other wrist slipped through the chains and Camille fell forward, landing awkwardly on her face.

She was free.

"Help me!" Jo said, pulling at her chains. "Camille, help me get free!"

Camille scrambled across the dirty floor, over to her friend. She looked behind her, checking her binds. "Jo, you have to help me pull your hands free. Can you do that?"

Jo nodded. She closed her eyes and pulled while Camille grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled with her.

"Owwwwwww!" Jo groaned, clenching her teeth.

"Don't think about the pain." Camille told her. "Just keep pulling!"

Cuts erupted on Jo's skin and blood began to pour from the wounds, coating her skin. Camille gagged. She knew she needed the blood to get her friend free, but oh god, was it gross!

"Owww! Camille, stop! It hurts too much! I can't get free!" Jo sobbed, slumping against her friend in defeat.

"Yes you can!" Camille argued. "You just have to pull!" She kept pulling, ignoring her friend's protests and whimpers. "It's slipping, I can feel it!"

"Just go without me." Jo whispered. "Ow! Camille, you have to stop. Just go without me. Get help!"

Camille looked at her friend. "Are we doing this again? I wouldn't leave you in the car and I'm not leaving you now. Quit wussing out on me and pull! Damn it, Jo, you can't give up! PULL!"

Jo nodded. "Okay. Okay, you're right. I can do this." She squeezed her eyes shut again and pulled, holding in a scream as Camille pulled too. Her wrist finally slipped out of the chain and Jo fell against Camille, tears flowing down her face.

"Good! Good Jo. Now the other one."

"I can't." Jo sobbed.

"You can!"

She took a deep breath and pulled on her other wrist, using her free hand for leverage. Camille grabbed hold of Jo's blood covered arm and helped, pulling with all the strength she possessed. They were so close. One more pull and Jo would be free.

Jo screamed when her arm slipped free, the metal cutting a jagged gouge in the skin of her hand. Blood poured freely as she gripped the injured hand to her chest, her face pale.

"Just wrap it in your shirt and let's get out of here." Camille said, trying to be strong for her friend. They could get her hand looked at when they were free. When they were safe. She stood quickly and grabbed hold of Jo's arm, pulling her to her feet.

She felt like a mouse in a maze. She didn't know where to go.

"How do we get out of here?" Jo whispered, looking around for an exit.

"I don't know." Camille admitted. She spotted a door at the far end of the room. On the opposite end of the room, stairs led up. Camille didn't think going up was a good idea. That left the door. "Come on."

She pulled Jo's arm around her shoulders, lending her friend whatever support she could, and the pair hobbled quickly towards the door. Towards freedom.

Please let it be unlocked. Camille prayed when they reached the door. Please.

She twisted the handle.

It was unlocked.

She leaned back and pulled, relief flooding her. It was unlocked. Thank god.

The door opened less than a centimeter before catching on something.

No! Camille's mind protested weakly.

She pulled again.

The door didn't get past the obstacle.

NO! Camille's mind rebelled at the injustice of the situation.

Somehow the door was locked on the outside, only not through the nob. Something was attaching it to the wall.

Camille fell to her knees, crying, dragging Jo down with her in a defeated heap, her fists clenched, her mind screaming with frustration and sadness.

Simmons had planned for this. The sadistic asshole had put some kind of lock on the outside, just in case they got free.

"Camille?" Jo asked from beside her, her voice little more than a whisper.

"It's locked." Camille whispered back, utterly dejected. She didn't know what to do now.

He was going to find them. He was going to know that they'd tried to escape.

He would punish them.

He would…he would…hurt them horribly. Like he'd hurt Logan.

Knowing how awful he'd been to Logan…she could still hear Logan's screams over the phone.

"Camille, what do we do now?" Jo asked, struggling to her feet. "Come on, we have to keep trying."

Camille nodded numbly and followed her friend, getting to her feet. He wasn't here yet. They had to hurry.

But the things he'd done to Logan…

"We can fight him." Camille said, waiting for an objection. When none came, she looked at Jo and saw resolve and determination in her friend's eyes.

"We'll fight him. Together." Jo agreed, her eyes suddenly scanning the walls for a weapon.

There were so many to choose from.

So many horrible weapons to choose from.

The girls ran to the wall, looking over their options. Camille shuddered when her gaze fell on the knives and axes. She couldn't use those. She couldn't cut someone…no matter how much she wished she could. It was too gruesome. Jo must have felt the same way because she ignored the weapons and moved on, down the wall.

She plucked a baseball bat from a shelf and tested its weight in her hands. Camille grabbed another bat and held it out in front of her, awkwardly. She'd never been one for sports. It felt foreign in her hands…but it was better than the blades.

One good hit and they'd be free. One good solid blow and it would all be over.

In her mind, Camille saw Simmons toppling over as the blow knocked all sense from him. Then they'd run through the open door and get help. Then they'd go home.

HOME.

The word sounded fantastic, unlike anything else she had ever wanted. Never before had it seemed like such a wonderful place. All she had to do was hit Simmons hard enough. Once down, Simmons would have no chance of catching them and they could go home.

What if it didn't work?

The question went unanswered. If she thought about failing, it would fail and if she failed, the consequences would be far worse than anything her mind could conjure up, of this she was sure.

She could still hear Logan screaming. She'd never forget the sound.

Across the room, a scraping sound came from the locked door, startling the two girls and making them jump back. The door flew open with a bang and the girls screamed, brandishing their weapons in front of them as Simmons stood in the open doorway, impossibly large, filling the entire open space. His eyes narrowed as he looked to where they'd been earlier, locked to the wall, finally resting on where they stood now, holding their suddenly puny feeling bats.

A smirk crossed his face while his eyes narrowed, taking in the situation.

"Oh my god." Jo whispered, backing away from the menacing figure, her face draining of all color. The look in his eyes. He'd been expecting this…hoping for this…she was sure of it. He'd wanted an excuse to hurt them.

And they'd just given him one.

He cocked his head to the side, as if listening to an unseen voice, and then he looked back towards the girls.

"They are bad girls." He muttered under his breath, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him with a loud, echoing bang. "Bad girls need to be punished."

"What do we do?" Camille hissed at Jo. They needed a plan. They were two against one. They could still do this.

Jo remained silent next to her, trembling uncontrollably. The bat in her hands wobbled as she stared at the man walking calmly towards them.

"Going somewhere?" Simmons sneered.

Camille held her bat up in front of her, trying to look more confident than she felt. "We're leaving Simmons. You can't stop us."

"I AM NOT SIMMONS!"

The scream took her by surprise and she jumped back, knocking into the shelf of knives, scattering them to the floor.

"Simmons is dead." The man stalked closer, his eyes glued to hers. She felt like he was reaching into her soul, draining it from her body, leaving her weak.

"What?" Camille whispered, the bat falling slightly.

"I am Hyde. I am in charge. And you will do what I say or die."

"Camille?" Jo whispered next to her, still shaking with fear. It was now or never. He was getting too close. They had to decide.

"Split up." Camille only mouthed the words, hoping that Jo understood. He couldn't chase them both…they had a better chance if they went in opposite directions.

"Don't run." Hyde warned, his eyes narrowing even more.

Jo began to move away from Camille, off to the right. Camille moved the other way, her eyes never leaving Hyde. He glanced briefly at Jo before turning his attention to Camille.

"Did you like the video?"

It was so like her nightmare the day before. Camille remembered he'd asked her that in her dream too.

But this wasn't a dream.

"Did you like watching Logan fuck that other girl?"

"Shut. Up." Camille said, eyeing the door behind Hyde.

"Did you watch him come? I watched him come. Did you like it?"

"SHUT UP!" This time Camille screamed the words, wishing he would stop. She didn't want to hear this.

"He tried so hard to fight it, but in the end, he loved it."

"STOP IT!"

"He's coming back to me. He thinks he can save you."

Noooo…..it wasn't true. Logan wouldn't come here. Logan couldn't come here.

"Do you want to know what I did to him?"

Camille shook her head.

"I beat him."

"Stop."

"I made him bleed."

"Please stop."

"I burned him and made him scream."

Jo was almost to the door. Hyde wasn't even watching her.

"I fucked him and made him beg me to stop. You can watch when I do it again."

"NO!" Camille screamed, lunging at the man, determined to strike at him, to make him shut up. She couldn't hear anymore. She didn't want to know.

He was ready for her and her attack was ill planned. Raging anger made her predictable and he caught the bat easily in one hand, pulling her towards him and leveling the bat against her throat, effectively cutting off her airway. She struggled against him, trying desperately to draw in air while black dots floated across her vision. Jo reacted just as predictably, turning from her escape and rushing the man, trying to free her friend.

Hyde spun towards her, pulling Camille with him, and calmly pulled his handgun from his belt, leveling it at the approaching girl, making her stop in her tracks.

"I can shoot you in places that won't kill you quickly." He warned, pulling more tightly on the bat as Camille's struggles weakened. "Drop the bat."

Nooo. Camille thought, her brain already fuzzy from lack of oxygen. Jo couldn't give up. If she gave up, all was lost.

The bat dropped to the floor with a clang.

Camille stopped struggling, so close to passing out that she almost wished she would. Hyde removed the bat from her neck and pushed her brutally to the floor, scraping exposed skin where she fell in a boneless heap, drawing in raggedly deep breaths. She turned and looked over her shoulder, desperately afraid of what Hyde would do next.

Logan had screamed. Camille was terrified that she would do the same.

"Come here." Hyde said to Jo, motioning with his gun for her to move. She hesitated, unsure. "COME HERE!"

The screamed order broke her indecision and she hurriedly moved to where Camille sat on the floor, her eyes wide with fright. When she got close to Hyde he lashed out with the gun, cracking her in the skull, opening a gash that burst red across her blond locks. Her eyes glazed over as she fell next to Camille.

"I don't need them both." Hyde said quietly, as if talking to himself. " I don't need the blond girl."

"No, please!" Camille begged, suddenly afraid for her friend. The gun pointed to the ground where she lied, unmoving. "Please don't hurt her."

"I have so many plans to hurt her." Hyde whispered. "So many plans to make her scream and beg. The others will have to wait for their blood. The boy isn't here yet." He shook his head, as if clearing away a conversation Camille hadn't been able to hear, and glared down at her. "It's almost time."

"For what?" Camille whispered.

"For the boy to be here. I have to prepare."

The boy? Logan? He couldn't really be headed here.

Hyde reached down, hauling Camille to her feet, pressing her back against him while he wrapped his arms tightly around her. His mouth moved down to her neck, his teeth playing over her skin in an intimate gesture.

"Just a taste." He whispered hotly against her, pushing his groin up against her backside. Camille struggled against the hold, hissing in pain when his teeth bit down harder, breaking skin. "Are you as good as your boyfriend?"

He bit down harder, effectively cutting off Camille's protests, making her scream. He ground into her harder, rougher, his breathing becoming more labored. "I just need a taste."

Blood ran down her neck from the wound, his tongue lapping at it greedily, making her gag. His arm around her was like a vice…she couldn't get away.

"I don't want to wait for the boy." Hyde groaned into her shoulder.

Tears sprang up in her eyes at the hopelessness of the situation. She couldn't get away. He could and would do whatever he wanted to do to her. Whatever he'd done to Logan. She couldn't stop him.

"She tastes so good." He moaned.

Camille panicked. She wasn't thinking of anything but stopping the intimate embrace and she flung back her head, connecting with a solid crunch, making Hyde scream in rage. He spun her around, slapping her brutally across the face, making her see stars. Blood flowed freely from his nose and he ignored it, slapping her again and again

"You bitch!" He screamed with each slap, her lip splitting from a vicious backhand. "You'll pay for that later." He kept hold of her wrist, dragging her across the room while she struggled to keep up. At the far end of the large room were two large, identical cages, suspended over a large pool of dirty, dank water. Camille looked down as he flung her into the closest cage, locking the door behind her. The pool looked impossibly deep. She slumped down against the metal bars of the cage, swinging dizzily over the murky water.

"This used to be a fish hatchery." Hyde said quietly, watching her closely, enjoying her fear. "I could drop you into the water right now and watch you drown."

Camille almost wondered if drowning would be such a horrible way to die. At least she'd be alone, at the bottom of the pool, where he couldn't hurt her anymore.

Hyde watched her for another half a minute, making her want to scream at him to go away, before turning abruptly and heading back to where Jo still sat, dazed, on the grimy floor. He grabbed her by her pony tail, making her scream in pain as he used it to pull her to her feet.

"Leave her alone!" Camille screamed.

Hyde ignored her and ignored Jo's screams, dragging her to the second cage and flinging her in, shutting the door behind her. Jo's cage swung over the water, making Camille even more nauseous as she watched it move.

"Now you can't get away." Hyde smirked, standing in front of both cages. "I'm going to go retrieve your boyfriends." Camille watched him walk to a nearby table and grab a small remote control. He pointed it at a small black box and a digital screen popped on, displaying sixty minutes.

It was a timer.

For what?

Jo moved slowly to the door of her cage, watching Hyde too. Blood matted her face, clinging to her hair, standing out so sharply on her pale scalp.

"What are you doing?" She asked bravely.

Hyde looked back at her. "For your sakes, pray I make it back before that timer runs out." He answered her. "Or pray I don't. It's up to you."

He moved away, heading for the door while the two girls watched him, swinging slowly over the water.

"You have sixty minutes of life left, girls, if I don't make it back. After that, the bomb explodes and all they'll find of you is bloody bits and pieces." He laughed as he swung the door closed behind him.

"It's a bomb." Camille whispered, both grateful and scared to death that Hyde was gone. He had the controller. Only he could stop the countdown.

59 minutes.

A whole minute was already gone.

One less minute of life.

"He left us here to die." Jo whimpered, lying down on the floor of her cage, staring down at the murky, disgusting water. Something floated beneath her and she recoiled away. Whatever it was, it was alive. Maybe it wouldn't be for long. It was in the same boat as she was. In 58 minutes, they'd all go boom.

Two minutes gone. Just like that.

"I hope he doesn't come back." Camille said, letting her head fall against the cool metal of the bars. "I hope he doesn't come back and the bomb goes off and it's just all over."

"If the guys don't come, that's what will happen."

"I hope they don't come. I hope Logan stays away."

"And Kendall too."

"You didn't hear him scream." Camille whispered. "On the phone, you didn't hear him."

"I know." Jo whispered back.

"It was so awful." Camille was crying now, unable to keep her emotions pent up any longer.

Jo nodded.

"I don't want him to go through that again."

"He won't." Jo answered.

"He will if he comes here. He'll hurt Logan again. Like he did before."

"Camille…"

Camille interrupted her, still lost in her own desperate thoughts. "I hope Logan and Kendall bring the police and they arrest that psycho."

"Me too." Jo agreed quietly.

56 minutes.

She hadn't even noticed 57 pass by. Her life was passing so quickly now.

"Do you think it will hurt?"

Jo thought about it, before shaking her head. "No. I don't think so."

Camille nodded back, still staring at the bomb.

55 minutes.

The address led them to an abandoned warehouse in the worst part of Los Angeles. Logan parked Detective Morris's car at the end of a dark alley and sighed.

"This is the place."

Kendall sat next to him, his eyes darting around the dark alley, searching. "I don't see anyone."

"He's here somewhere. Probably watching us. Come on." Logan opened his door, stepping out into the unseasonably cool night air. He shivered, pulling his hoodie tighter around him. The fabric rubbed against the wounds on his back, making in wince. He was probably bleeding again…his t shirt felt wet against his skin. He imagined it was soaked with blood by now. He wished he'd thought to take a Motrin before leaving the hospital, but there hadn't been time.

They'd had a hard enough time sneaking out, using a diversion from Carlos and James. Even now, Logan could still see their looks of hurt and disapproval when he'd told them to stay behind. Of course they'd wanted to come along.

But it was too dangerous. Hyde had told them to come alone.

He walked slowly into the alley, pausing to listen. Kendall came up beside him, holding his breath as he listened too. A cat meowed somewhere further down. A trash can fell over, the clang echoing loudly in the quiet night. A hobo coughed…or threw up…it was hard to tell. He was too far away.

A rat scurried past Logan's foot and he jumped, startled by the sudden contact and disgusted at the same time. Kendall jerked away from him, looking down at his own feet to make sure nothing was near him.

A dog barked.

Logan looked at Kendall. "Let's go."

The anticipation was the worst. At least for Logan. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, making his muscles tight as he waited to spring into action. Every soft sound reverberated loudly in his ears, sounding impossibly loud. He didn't know where the attack would come from. He knew it would come. He just didn't know from where.

The situation seemed eerily familiar to another time, at the café, when it'd been him and Camille walking slowly down an alley. That hadn't turned out so well for him.

Where was Hyde? The suspense was almost killing him. He was here. Logan knew he was here.

Moonlight shone down into the dark passage, casting oblong shadows on the walls. Each shadow made Logan flinch and he was glad for the dark, so Kendall wouldn't see how on edge he really was.

Kendall didn't know what Hyde was capable of. What he'd done to him. What he promised to do again. Logan couldn't go through that again. He just couldn't.

"Do you see anything?" Kendall whispered near his ear. Logan shook his head.

"No. We're at the address he gave. He should be here."

"Do you think the girls are here somewhere?"

Logan didn't. But he didn't want to discourage Kendall just yet. Hyde would have them somewhere else. Just in case they had police with them. Hyde would have planned for that.

"I don't know." He answered. A shadow moved off to his right and Logan's head spun towards it, searching.

"We came." Logan said softly, directing his voice towards the shadow. "Now do what you promised and let the girls go."

"I don't recall making that promise." Hyde moved away from the wall, leveling a shotgun at Logan's chest.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kendall asked, glaring at the older man.

Hyde gazed at Kendall, taking his time as he looked him up and down. "I can't wait to beat that defiance out of you." He said softly, making Kendall shudder.

"No more games, Hyde." Logan said, bringing the man's attention back to him. "Let the girls go."

"The deal was that I wouldn't kill your little bitches if you came willingly." Hyde informed the boys, smirking. "And I won't kill them. Yet. If you don't fight me."

Logan shook his head angrily. "I knew you would go back on your word!" He yelled, frustrated with his lack of control in the situation. "I knew you would pull this shit." He reached behind him and pulled the handgun from the waist of his jeans, leveling it at the still smirking psycho. Kendall looked at him, wide eyed with shock. Logan didn't believe in guns. Logan hated guns. Yet his friend was holding a gun. And pointing it at another human being.

"Logan?" Kendall whispered. "What are you doing?"

Logan continued to stare at Hyde. "I'm ending this. Now. Let the girls go, or I'll shoot you right now Hyde, and we'll free the girls ourselves. I don't want to kill you, but I will if you don't get the girls right now."

Hyde laughed, the sound echoing off the brick walls of the empty alley. "You'll shoot me? Ha! You don't' have the balls to do it! You're weak!"

"We'll see who's weak." Logan answered, his finger settling on the trigger.

"I might shoot you first." Hyde told him, getting angry at the boy's continued defiance. "Or I could shoot your pretty blond friend there. You want to watch your friend die? Tell you what, boy…I'll shoot your friend, skin your girlfriend alive and then you and I can play until you beg me to kill you. How does that sound?"

Logan clenched his jaw, growing angrier by the second. Pent up rage was threatening to break free as he glared at the man in front of him, wishing he could pull the trigger. Just to wipe that disgusting smirk off his fucking face. But he couldn't…not yet…they didn't know where the girls were.

"Logan?" Kendall whispered again, getting worried as he watched the emotions play across his friend's face. Logan looked close to snapping. Things were going to get real ugly, real fast.

"Stay out of this Kendall!" Logan yelled, never taking his eyes off of Hyde. "You don't know what he did to me! I'm not going through that again!"

"You think that was bad?" Hyde told him, his voice low but full of malice. The look in his eyes gave Kendall the creeps as the older man stared down his friend. "You think what I did to you in that basement was bad? Just wait until you see what I have planned for you next. You're mine, boy. You're never getting away from me."

"Give. Me. The. Girls!" Logan yelled though his clenched jaw. "You've lost, Hyde! Can't you see that?"

Hyde laughed again, astounded by the boy's arrogance. But time was running out. He had to get the boys back to his special room now. "This was fun, but the game ends now, boy. Drop your gun and come with me, or the girls die. Horribly. And then I'll make you wish you were dead."

"I already wish that." Logan said quietly, almost too softly for even Kendall to hear. "And I plan on taking you with me."

"Then the girls' lives are on your hands." Hyde said, playing his final card. "They've got about thirty more minutes to live. You come with me now, they live. You keep stalling and they die. Your choice."

"Wait, what?" Kendall said, a cold feeling of dread filling him. Thirty minutes?

"You heard me. There is a bomb in the room with your bitch girlfriends. Only I can disarm it. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, the girls go boom."

Oh shit. Logan thought. Hyde had trumped him. He hadn't expected this. The gun wavered as Logan realized he'd lost. They wouldn't be able to find the girls in thirty minutes. Not before the bomb exploded.

"Drop the gun." Hyde ordered, recognizing his own victory. "Now."

Logan hesitated, still unwilling to give up his only protection against the lunatic in front of him.

"NOW!" Hyde screamed "I do not have time for this. Drop the fucking gun or I'll shoot your friend, Logan."

The gun fell to the ground. Logan stared down at it, willing himself to breath. Shit shit shit!

"Get in the van."

The boys nodded, walking slowly to the back of a white van parked near the end of the alley while Hyde followed behind. They'd lost. He'd outsmarted them again.

"FREEZE!" A new voice screamed, startling Logan and Kendall. Hyde spun to face the newcomer and when he noticed Morris, his blood began to boil. The boy had involved the police…despite being warned not to. Oh, the things Hyde was going to do to him when he got him back to his special room! It would make everything else seem like a day in the park.

"Come on Simmons, it's over. Drop your fucking weapon and get on the ground." Morris ordered.

"How?" Logan asked, bewildered. "How did you find us?"

"Your friend tipped me off." Morris said, his eyes still trained on Hyde. Carlos walked out of the shadows, grinning broadly at his friends.

"Carlos!" Kendall said happily, relief flood through him as he momentarily forgot about the danger the girls were in. All he could think was that he was safe.

"I don't think so Detective." Hyde sneered. "If you arrest me, the deaths of two innocent girls will on your hands."

"What the fuck are you talking about now, Simmons?" Morris asked.

"HYDE! My fucking name is Hyde!" Hyde screamed back, turning his gun on Morris.

"I don't give a flying fuck what your name is. This ends now. Put your gun down before I blow you away like I should have done in the woods."

Hyde shrugged. "Fine. I'll put my gun away. I hope Logan and Kendall can live without their girlfriends because they will be dead in thirty minutes."

"Just what the hell is he talking about?" Morris asked the boys.

Logan stared at Morris, horror filling him. "He has the girls in a room with a bomb. If he doesn't go back in time to disarm it, it explodes and the girls die."

"And I'm taking the boys with me when I leave here." Hyde sneered. "Otherwise the girls die."

Kendall gulped as he looked between the two older men. It was a stalemate, pure and simple.

Morris shook his head. "I can't allow you to take these boys anywhere, Simmons. You know that. The police department does not negotiate with killers."

Hyde actually laughed. "That's fine. I didn't like those bitches anyway."

"NO!" Logan screamed. "You can't let them die, Morris! We have to save them.!"

"Kid, you don't even know where they are or if they're alive! I'm not allowing it!"

"You can save them Logan." Hyde told him. "You know what to do. Come with me and I'll disarm the bomb. The girls don't have to die."

"No. They don't" Logan agreed, suddenly realizing what he had to do. "They won't die because of me. I'm going with Hyde, Detective Morris. You can't stop me."

"Me to." Kendall said.

Morris shook his head. "I can't let you boys do that."

Carlos watched the situation escalate, noting the impossible position that his two best friends were in. They couldn't let the girls die. But he didn't want them to go with Hyde either. He knew what he had to do. He just hoped he could live with himself for doing it. Stepping forward, he reached out quickly and grabbed hold of the detective's gun, wrenching it from the stunned man's hand. It fell to the ground while Morris turned to stare at Carlos, disbelief evident on his angry face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"They have to go with him." Carlos said while Hyde smirked at him. "They have to save the girls."

"What a little hero." Hyde laughed. "Thanks kid." He aimed and fired, hitting Morris square in the chest, the force of the bullet flinging him back into the trash cans that lined the wall. Carlos stared in complete horror as the officer fell to the ground, no longer moving.

"Oh my god." He yelled, turning back to face Hyde. What had he done? He'd just made the biggest mistake of his life.

"Like I said, thanks kid." Hyde smirked, returning his attention to Logan and Kendall. "You two, arms out in front of you."

Logan and Kendall held their arms out, wrists together, completely stunned. Morris was dead. Holy shit. Carlos looked back at them, watching them comply with Hyde's order, not sure what to do. He looked back to where Morris was, still not moving. The hit had been direct. There was no coming back from that.

Hyde removed cuffs from his belt and expertly slapped them down on the boys' wrists, effectively binding their hands. As the cuffs snapped home, Logan felt despair overwhelm him. It was happening all over again. And this time, his friends would suffer right along with him.

"Get in the van." Hyde barked, opening the door, his gun still pointed at them.

"To save the girls." Kendall whispered, pushing Logan ahead of him and into the van.

This was really happening.

Hyde suddenly filled the doorway, blocking out what little light was filtering in. Moonlight glinted off his eyes, giving them an evil glow. "I can't wait to have you again, Logan." He groaned, obviously anticipating the event. Logan shuddered, moving closer to Kendall, thankful for his support. "Soon."

Logan shook his head. No no no. That could NOT happen again. It would NOT happen again. Kendall felt his friend tense up next to him and swallowed a gulp. This was bad.

As Logan liked to say, this was SOOOO bad.

"I almost forgot." Hyde said, turning back around to face Carlos, who until now had been ignored by the madman. "I don't need witnesses." The gun came up and Carlos froze, staring down the barrel, his eyes going wide.

"NO!" Kendall screamed, horror filling him as he realized what was about to happen. He scrambled to his feet. "Carlos, RUN!"

Carlos couldn't run. He was frozen. His feet wouldn't move. He couldn't outrun a shotgun. There was no way.

"CARLOS!"

Hyde pulled the trigger and Carlos flew backwards, landing on top of the detective.

"NOOO!" Logan screamed as Hyde laughed and closed the doors to the van with a bang. Logan heard the locks slide into place…Hyde wasn't going to make that mistake again. He slumped down next to Kendall, his mind refusing to process what had just happened. All he could see was the stunned look on Carlos' face when the bullet had hit home. His body flying through the air. Landing in a dead heap.

"Oh my god." Kendall whispered next to Logan. "Oh my god."

"I don't think even God can help us now." Logan whispered next to him. Not where they were going.

The van sped off quickly, heading out of the dark alley and disappearing down the road.

Groaning erupted near the trash cans.

"Get off me." Morris said, pushing at the dead weight. "I can't breathe with you on top of me."

"Ughhh!" Carlos groaned, struggling to sit up. "Owwwwwwwww!"

Morris groaned next to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, but dang! I thought the vest would block more." Carlos said, getting shakily to his feet.

"It blocked enough." Morris told him, smirking. "You're not dead."

"Yes, and don't think I'm not happy about that." Carlos told him. "Still hurt though."

"Tell me again why we had to let him shoot us?"

"So that he thinks no one is looking for him." Carlos answered. "He won't be watching for us now."

"Your boys are very brave." Morris said absently, grabbing his radio from his pocket. "Stupid, but brave. I can't believe I let you talk me into this asinine plan of yours."

"Couldn't think of any other way to save the girls." Said Carlos. "And our plans usually always work…most of the time." He hoped Kendall and Logan wouldn't be too mad at him for deceiving them. Their reactions had to be realistic in order to fool Hyde.

Morris shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to absolutely lose my job for this. James?" He called, speaking into the radio. "You got eyes on them?"

"White utility van is in sight." James answered. "I'm not letting them get away."

"Does he seem to suspect you?"

"I don't think so. I'm about four cars back and its dark, I doubt he even sees me."

Morris breathed a sigh of relief. "Good job. Stay with them and call me with a location when he stops. I'm going to get that son of a bitch tonight and end this."

"You got it." James said. "No matter what, this ends tonight."

Camille stared at the red digital readout, displaying how many minutes of life she had left.

Five.

That's what the readout said. She'd gone from having a life time ahead of her to having five minutes.

It wasn't fair.

Or maybe it was. No one had ever promised her more time. Life was precious. Each second was precious.

Especially when you got down to five minutes.

Four minutes now.

In the next cage, Jo watched the readout too. "It's almost over." She said.

Camille nodded. She was glad. Watching that clock tick steadily down had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. Knowing that was all she had left. She'd cried a few times…despairing over lost opportunities and missed moments. Things she'd never done. Things she'd never get to do. Things she'd wished she'd done when she had the chance.

Three minutes. That couldn't be right. The minutes were going more quickly now. Suddenly she had so much she wanted to say to the people she loved.

"I love you Jo." She whispered as the clock continued to count down. "I'm sorry I got you into this."

"I love you too." Jo responded sadly. "And don't think for a second that this is your fault. It's that creep's fault."

Camille nodded. "I really am sorry. I can't believe this is happening."

"Two more minutes and we won't have to worry about it anymore." Jo told her. "Then we'll be free of him and he won't be able to hurt us."

"I hope the guys are okay. I hope they got away."

"And then this will mean something." Jo added. "At least they'll be safe."

Suddenly craving comfort, Camille moved over to the side of her cage, ignoring the dizzying movement she caused, and reached out as far as she could, towards Jo, who in turn reached out towards her. Their fingers brushed each other, unable to grab hold. Instead they locked eyes, refusing to watch the read out any longer.

It was almost over.

They had less than a minute.

"It will be okay." Jo said fervently. "It won't hurt. It will happen so quickly we won't even realize it."

"I know." Camille said. "But I don't want it to happen."

"I love you." Jo said once more, closing her eyes, holding her breath.

"I love you too." Camille said, her face mirroring that of her best friend's.

The clock ticked off its last thirty seconds.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: Sooooo…..did it suck? If it did, pretend it didn't, okay? LOL ! Remember, I wrote it all in one day, so cut me some slack :D And please remember to review. Nothing is as depressing as writing something and then not getting any feedback. Did it suck? Did it not suck? I'll never know unless you drop me a line and tell me.**

**Later Gators~ LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 18*: Chapter 18**

**A/N: This story now has over 300 reviews : D Thank you all soooooo much for your support. It really means a lot to me. I promised winterschild11 an update by this weekend if she whumped Logan in "Those You Trust." She did (and I loved it!) so here's an update. If you haven't read "Those you Trust", you should. It's amazing. And of course read anything and everything that CrumpetCapers writes and also CelestialSonata7, who is also an amazing writer.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill….I do not own Big Time Rush, blah blah blah. Also, this chapter sucks butt. I'm not proud of it, but I don't know how to make it better, so I apologize in advance. I'm sorry.**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Broken legs sucked ass!

Big Time.

James cursed, trying to adjust his stupid leg awkwardly on the passenger seat, straight out, cramping him in horrible places…while he struggled to keep the white van carrying his friends in his sight.

He'd always thought it would be easy to tail someone. Hell, he'd seen it in almost every movie he'd ever watched. The good guy followed the bad guy…never losing sight of his target…always saving the day.

Obviously those guys had never tried to follow a nondescript white van in the middle of L.A. traffic, all while trying to remain inconspicuous.

All while knowing that if you lost sight of the van, four of your best friends in the entire world would suffer horribly for it. Four of your best friends in the entire world would die. And it would be all your fault. Four people were counting on you to stay with the white van…to stay out of sight…and to bring help.

It was a weighty responsibility.

And in the middle of all that stress, his damn stupid leg was cramping up, trying so hard to draw his mind way from his task.

He shifted again, gritting his teeth when the cramp moved up into his groin. His legs were too long. The car was too small. Sitting with your leg straight out to the side was hard.

Damn it, the van was switching lanes again. Why couldn't that asshole stay in one lane?

James had lost count of how many lane switches, sharp turns and fake outs the van had made since peeling out of the alley twenty minutes ago. He knew he had to stay back…he was five cars behind the van…but this son of a bitch was doing a great job at losing him.

Another lane change and the van was in the right hand lane, picking up speed. James cursed again and moved into the right lane, doing his best to make the move seem easy and nonchalant. Other cars were changing lanes right along with him. Hopefully Hyde wouldn't notice him.

He couldn't let them down. He wouldn't let them down. Damn this god damned fucking broken leg! Sweat rolled down his face, dripping down his back, pooling on his t-shirt. His knuckles turned stark white, clenching the steering wheel so tightly that he feared he'd never be able to let go. He sped up, cutting off a black Explorer, pissing off the driver in his attempt to keep the white van in sight.

"Sorry." James muttered, watching the other driver flip him off in his rear view mirror. He grimaced at the words he saw the man mouth…not so nice…and looked away from the mirror, setting his sights back on the white van.

Hyde was increasing speed again, pushing the posted speed limits and James increased right along with him, willing the cars in front of him to hurry the hell up. He was riding the bumper of the white Intrepid in front of him…he usually didn't drive so close…but the old man driving was blatantly unaware of just how slow he was going.

"The gas is on the right." James mumbled under his breath. "Come on! We're seriously going this slow? My Grandma drives faster than this!"

He wondered how Logan and Kendall were doing. Inside the van. He knew they were scared. They had to be freaking out. James knew what they'd seen in the alley….Carlos and Morris being shot by Hyde. Even James had suffered a momentary freak out until he'd received the call from Morris, letting him know they were okay.

It was a risky plan and they'd known that from the start. But he was going to do his part to make sure it succeeded.

Son of a bitch, the van was moving off to the right, getting on to the highway. Shit. Shit shit shit. As if it wasn't hard enough to follow Hyde on city streets, James knew it would be even harder on the busy freeways.

He moved over quickly and got on the highway, directly behind the van this time and he lowered his face, hoping Hyde didn't recognize him in his rearview mirror. Another cramp hit him and he grit his teeth together, waiting for it to pass.

Broken legs sucked.

Of course, being kidnapped by a psycho and locked in the back of a white van probably sucked even more. James pushed aside thoughts of his discomfort as the van sped up, moving over to the third lane.

Stay back. James mentally reminded himself, sticking to the middle lane of the three lane highway, two cars back. He was glad it was dark…glad for the cover it gave him, making him less noticeable. A car pulled up alongside him and a horn honked, diverting his attention left, away from the van. He looked over, his eyes widening in shock when four girls waved at him, screaming something…he couldn't tell what..and pointing wildly.

Fans.

Oh shit.

"Go away!" James mouthed the words, knowing the girls couldn't hear him but hoping they'd be able to decipher the words. "Not now!" He waved them off, which only seemed to excite them more. One took out a camera and snapped a picture, the flash momentarily blinding him.

"Stop!" James shouted this time, hoping they'd get the point. The girls giggled again, high-fived each other and continued to move right alongside him.

This wasn't good. They were drawing too much attention to him. Any idiot would be able to see that something was up…Hyde would notice for sure.

Hyde. Shit! The van.

James looked away from the fans, his eyes searching for the white van. He panicked when he couldn't find it in the third lane, where it'd been only moments before.

The car next to him honked again, the girls obviously trying to get his attention back on them but he ignored it, still scanning the road in front.

Where were they? Damn it! Where did he go?

The car honked again.

"Not now!" He shouted, turning his head towards the girls so they could read his lips.

He spotted the van about ten cars ahead of him and he gave a quick shout of relief, stepping on the gas to catch up. How the hell had he gotten so far in front of him? The girls sped up too, keeping even with him and for once in his life, James cursed fame. Stupid fame! Why couldn't these girls just leave him alone?

Shit! The van moved over, to the right lane. James looked to his right, realizing too late that he was boxed in. He couldn't move over. He motioned to the old lady next to him that he wanted to move into her lane, giving her his most charming smile.

The old broad flipped him the bird, mouthed something about him doing something to himself…which made him blush…and sped up so that he couldn't move over.

Damn it!

The girls honked again, this time more forcefully, making James jump. Another flash of the camera and stars danced in front of his eyes, making them water. He'd never liked camera flashes.

Up ahead, Hyde took an exit, leaving the highway and James panicked. He couldn't move over…he wouldn't make the exit. The old lady was still next to him, her mouth set in a hard line as she obviously did her best to make sure he had no room to move over. What was her problem?

James closed his eyes, said a small prayer, and hit his breaks, listening to the squealing tires behind him as other motorists reacted to his bonehead move. The old lady sped past him and James cut a hard right, moving his car into the next lane ahead of a Semi, knowing he'd only made the opening by centimeters. The Semi driver honked angrily at him as he hit the exit ramp, leaving the highway behind.

Nothing about that exit had been subtle, but James hoped Hyde hadn't noticed. He looked around, trying to figure out where they were as he pulled out his cell phone to call Morris. The area wasn't nice and James reached over to lock his doors as he drove past prostitutes and hard looking men standing in groups on the corners of the streets.

There were very few cars on the dark roads and only two cars separated him from the white van, which made James nervous. He was too close. Hyde was bound to notice him. The light ahead of him changed to yellow and James gunned it, hoping to get through it before it changed to red. The car in front of him stopped for the yellow and without thinking, James sped around the car, going through the red, thanking god that no one was coming through the intersection. The car he'd passed honked at him and James rolled his eyes.

What was it with everyone honking today?

The buildings slowly changed from residential and business to industrial, large warehouses popping up on both sides of the road. It was the smell that made him realize where he was.

Fish.

James hated fish.

He'd only been to the docks once…when Kendall had wanted fresh fish…and he'd detested every single second of it. The gross smell…the salty air…the disgusting fish sitting there, looking at him with their bugged out eyes. He'd never gone back.

Until now.

James knew he was at the docks. Large warehouses, looking very much deserted and run down, were all around him. The perfect places to hide people, if you were in to that sort of thing. Up ahead, on the now deserted road, the white van pulled off to the side, disappearing into a garage in one of the most rundown, dilapidated buildings on the street.

They had reached their destination.

James quickly pulled off to the side of the road, using a parked car as cover, and pulled out his cellphone, glancing up at the street sign to see exactly where he was.

Ship Street.

Of course. What else would a street by the docks be called? He listened to the phone ring, waiting for Morris to answer.

"You got a location?"

"We're by the docks." James said, his eyes locked on the warehouse Hyde had disappeared in to. "He just drove into a large warehouse on Ship Street."

"Got it. I'm calling in for backup and we're on our way. Do not get out of your car, do you hear me?" Morris ordered.

"But they're right inside!" James argued. "What if he's hurting them."

"Do NOT get out of that car!" Morris said more forcefully. "I do not need another hostage thrown into the mix."

"Fine. I'll stay in the car. Just hurry up and get here."

"We'll be there soon."

The call disconnected and James set his phone down, still staring at the building. His best friends were in there, right now, with a madman. And he was sitting outside in the car, doing nothing.

"You've got thirty minutes, Morris." James muttered to himself, wincing as his broken leg began to tingle. Damn it, it HAD fallen asleep. "Thirty minutes, and I'm going in."

The promise made, he sighed and stared at the building, hoping his friends would be okay for the next thirty minutes and praying that Morris arrived in time.

The door swung open with an echoing bang, startling the two girls who had been waiting for oblivion. They jumped, their eyes flying open and immediately searching out the red digital timer.

Three seconds.

Camille held her breath, waiting for the two and then the one and then the boom, but the timer did not move from three seconds.

She had been three seconds away from death.

"Oh my god." Jo whispered, falling back into her cage.

Hyde was back.

"Oh no." Camille said, looking to the doorway. If Hyde was back, that meant only one thing.

He had the guys.

She suddenly wished the bomb had exploded.

"Welcome back to hell." Hyde sneered as he pushed Logan and Kendall into the room ahead of him. He laughed when they landed in heaps on the floor, both unable to catch themselves because of their bound hands. Logan landed awkwardly on his face with a grunt and he quickly turned himself over onto his back to face Hyde.

Kendall landed on his right shoulder and he hissed as shooting pains stabbed the joint and ran up and down the length of his arm.

"LOGAN!"

Logan turned his head, scanning the room for her, his heart stopping when he finally found her. She looked remarkably unharmed and Logan was grateful for that. But Hyde had her locked in a large cage of some sort, reminding Logan of a shark cage, and he'd suspended her over a large pool of water. Jo was in an identical cage next to Camille, suspended over her own body of water.

The rest of the room looked eerily similar to the basement in the woods and Logan immediately flashed back to his time spent in that hell. Implements of pain…tools of torture…surrounded him and his friends in the dark gloom of the large room.

"What is this place?" Kendall asked beside him, his eyes traveling swiftly to take in every tiny bit of horror.

"My playroom." Hyde said dramatically. "Isn't it wonderful? So much better than the basement, don't you think Logan?"

Logan didn't respond.

"My father owned this building." Hyde continued, standing in front of the two boys. "An old fish hatchery. Did you girls miss me?" He laughed, noticing the fear in their eyes as they stared back at him.

"Leave them alone." Logan said, getting slowly to his feet. "Your problem is with me. Let them go."

"My problem," Hyde said, reaching down and brutally hauling Logan to his feet, "is now with all of you. And I have such great plans for you all. For her. We'll get to that soon."

"You stay away from her!" Logan growled. "Your problem is with me. Let the rest of them go."

"I'm never letting them go, boy." Hyde whispered, his mouth close to Logan's ear.

"You're a sick freak." Kendall said, looking to Jo to make sure she was okay. She nodded slightly to assure him that she was, for the time being.

Hyde turned to Kendall, frowning. "So anxious for me to get to you, blondie?" He threw Logan brutally down, smirking at the resulting crack as the boy's head hit the cement floor.

Kendall gingerly rose to his feet, his eyes on Logan's prone form, as Hyde stalked him, the gleam in his eyes making shivers run down Kendall's skin.

"This ends now, Hyde. The police will find us." Kendall said, backing away from the approaching man. He watched Logan struggle to his feet behind Hyde, shaking his head as blood dribbled down his face from a cut near his hairline.

"I killed the police." Hyde laughed, still advancing on the smaller boy. "I killed your friend."

Kendall's eyes closed as he remembered Carlos, flying through the air, hitting the wall.

No. No time for that. Not yet.

"You are a sick bastard." Kendall taunted, doing anything he could to keep the man away from Logan and focused on him.

Hyde frowned. "I was going to start with the boy. Punish him for defying me. But if you want to be first, I will happily indulge you."

He was on Kendall faster than he would have thought possible, overpowering the bound boy with sheer size.

"What? No." Kendall stumbled as Hyde dragged him across the room, towards a large wooden table. Shackles adorned each corner, making Kendall feel the first tendrils of terror take over him. "What are you doing?"

"Did you friend tell you what I did to him?" Hyde whispered hotly in his ear. "Did he tell you how I took him so brutally that he cried and screamed for me to stop?"

"No! Stop!" Kendall cried, trying to fight the larger man as he was thrown up against the hard wood. He found himself face down, bent of the edge of the table, Hyde resting his full weight on his back, holding him down.

"Kendall!" Jo screamed and Kendall felt utter despair and humiliation fill him. Hands groped at his body, fumbled at the waist of his pants. Grunts and groans filled his ears as Hyde held him down. His belt came undone and Kendall felt a tugging on his pants as Hyde tried to lower them.

"No no no! stop!" Kendall tried once more, finding it hard to wrap his mind around the events that were taking place. No way this was happening. No way. He'd known what Logan had gone through, and he'd known it was a possibility, but he'd never thought it would happen so fast.

"Ready, blondie?" Hyde groaned, pushing lower still on his pants.

Kendall closed his eyes, still fighting desperately to get the other man away from him, but realizing it was a losing battle. The man was just too strong. He felt hands grope him in intimate places and he panicked, struggling even more. Hyde merely laughed hotly in his ear, his groans making Kendall physically ill.

"Yessss." Hyde moaned. "Fight me. Tell me to stop." He grabbed hold of Kendall's hair and slammed his head into the hard wood table, turning his world into one dizzy mess of black dots and stars. Kendall could hear the girls screaming in the background, could feel the mortifying reality engulf him as he realized they would witness what Hyde was about to do.

"Get ready to scream for me." Hyde said softly and Kendall closed his eyes, tears running down his face as he waited for the pain.

A loud crack, a pained grunt and suddenly the weight was off him as Logan pulled him up, off the table. Kendall looked around wildly, spotting Hyde a few yards away, holding his arm and sneering at the pair.

"Leave him alone!" Logan yelled, holding the bat up in front of him. He pushed Kendall behind him, taking up a defensive stance in front of his friend.

"Going to be the little protector, boy?" Hyde scoffed. "You think a little hit on the arm will stop me?"

"I was aiming for your fucking head!" Logan told him. "Come closer so I can try again."

"This won't end well for you, Logan." Hyde said quietly, taking a step towards the pair. "You know that."

"However it ends, it ends now." Logan answered, pushing Kendall back, taking a step away from Hyde.

Hyde smirked at him. "Does it?" The gun was in his hand before Logan had time to register what was happening but he steeled himself against the fear, standing up straighter in front of Kendall.

"Go ahead." Logan taunted. "Shoot me. End this. I don't care anymore."

"Logan, no!" Camille screamed from her cage, a sob escaping as she watched Hyde aim his gun at Logan's chest.

The gun moved away from Logan and Camille's eyes widened when it was suddenly aimed at her and Jo. "

"It's not you I plan to shoot, boy." Hyde growled. "Like shooting fish in a barrel."

The gun went off, the loud bang echoing in the vast room and Camille screamed, throwing herself to the floor of the cage as the first bullet whipped past her head. Another shot and Jo screamed in pain as the second bullet made contact, hitting her in the shoulder. She fell back, clutching her arm, her eyes glassy with pain as she watched blood seep from the wound.

"NO!" Logan screamed, whipping around to face the girls. "Hyde, STOP!"

"Haven't gotten your bitch yet." Hyde snarled, moving the gun back towards Camille.

"Fine!" Logan yelled, throwing the bat to the ground at Hyde's feet. "You want me to surrender, you got it!" He raised his hands up in front of him in defeat, still staring back at Camille. "Just stop!"

Hyde kicked the bat away from Logan. "It's never that easy, Logan."

Beside Camille, Jo whimpered, still holding her wounded shoulder. Tears ran down her dirt streaked face as she looked back at Camille.

"Where should I shoot her, Logan." Hyde asked. "You pick."

"No, please!" Logan begged, feeling sick and helpless at the look of fear in Camille's eyes. "Shoot me! Don't hurt her."

"Choose a spot or I'll choose and it could be fatal."

Behind him, Kendall stiffened, knowing the dilemma Logan was in. "Logan, you have to choose." He whispered to his friend, his eyes locked with Jo's, the pain in her eyes killing him.

"I can't." Logan whispered back.

"Logan, please!" Camille screamed, sitting up to offer a better, more accurate, target. Hyde was going to shoot her anyway. Maybe if Logan chose, it wouldn't be fatal. She could still make it out of this alive.

"Time's running out, Logan." Hyde told him.

"Just please." Logan begged. "Punish me. Beat me. Do whatever you want to me. Just don't hurt her. Please Hyde."

Hyde lowered the gun and smirked at Logan. "You think you can bargain with me?"

"I won't fight. I'll do whatever you want. I swear it, Hyde. Please." Logan eyes were full of pleading as he stared back at Camille.

"Logan, don't!" Camille sobbed, closing her eyes, waiting for the bullet to tear into her body.

Hyde was still looking at him. "You'll do whatever I want?"

Logan nodded. "Anything. Please."

Hyde raised the gun again. "You'll do anything I want anyway." The gun fired and Logan screamed at the same time as Camille, his heart stopping when he saw her fall to the floor of the cage, grabbing her left thigh in agony. Blood poured through her fingers, dripping into the murky water below.

"You son of a bitch!" Logan screamed, whirling back around to face Hyde. "I'll kill you for that!"

"ENOUGH!" Hyde screamed, suddenly fed up with the boy's defiance. "I will shoot them again, Logan."

"Logan." Kendall said, trying to calm his friend. "Stop before he kills them."

Logan struggled to control the rage building up inside him. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his breathing erratic. Kendall was right. Hyde held all the cards. He had to calm down.

Hyde watched him. "Now that we have that out of the way, we can play." He looked over at Kendall, still standing behind Logan. "We'll pick up where we left off in a minute. Right now the voices want to teach Logan a lesson."

"No, start with me." Kendall said, stepping away from Logan.

"Kendall, shut up, I got this." Logan interrupted.

"Blondie, up against the wall." Hyde ordered, gesturing with his gun. Kendall nodded awkwardly and followed Hyde to the far wall. Hyde pushed him to the ground and grabbed his cuffed hands, quickly attaching them to a hook in the wall. "Stay." He laughed, turning away from Kendall.

"Not like I have a choice." Kendall muttered, glancing away from Hyde to look at the girls. Jo had moved to the side of her cage, closer to Camille, who was still holding her leg and sobbing quietly.

"Now." Hyde said, cracking his knuckles loudly as he walked back towards Logan. "Let's work on that defiance."

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So sorry for the cliffhanger. This isn't where I'd planned on ending the chapter, but I promised an update this weekend and this is as far as I got, so there you go : -) The next chapter should be up soon… please review!**

***Chapter 19*: Chapter 19**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I wanted to get to a certain point in the story before I stopped again and it took a while to finish.**

**Does anyone watch NCIS Los Angeles? I was watching on Wednesday and Griffin was on the show! OK, that's not his real name, but the dude who plays Griffin was on the show. And WOW is that old guy BUFF! Holy Crap! Gives me a whole new appreciation for him. Is that weird? Yeah, that's weird.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush OR Buff Griffin (but now I kinda wish I did…)**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Hyde could finally see the fear edge its way back into the boy's eyes. He had been so smug. So combative. Hyde had been so sure he'd broken him…shattered his spirit…back in the basement.

He was so sure the boy had given up. And with the defiance gone, Hyde had found his lusts start to wane. It wasn't enough to just take the boy. Hyde now craved the fight. The anger and rage.

And now he knew how to get it.

The boy watched him warily, his eyes darting quickly to the crying bitches in the cages, and then to the blond on the floor. Anger flared up in his pretty brown orbs again. This was why Hyde had wanted the girl in the first place…to use her to cause the boy pain. Now he had three friends to use against the boy.

And the dead one. He could always remind the boy of his dead friend in the alley.

Hyde stalked closer to the boy, smirking when he took an involuntary step back. Like there was anywhere he could go. Hyde had his friends. The boy would never leave them. Hyde could probably go over, unlock the door, and step aside, giving the boy an easy chance to escape. And he wouldn't leave.

"So what should I do with you now?" Hyde whispered, still walking slowly towards the boy. "We need to break you of that annoying defiance.

The boy visibly bristled, clearly unhappy with Hyde's words. "If it's so annoying, you can let us leave." He responded angrily.

Hyde frowned. "There it is again."

"Spare me the crap." The boy fumed and instantly the voices were in an uproar, tired of the boy's continued disrespect.

"Calm yourselves." Hyde whispered to them. "I will make him pay for that."

The boy scoffed, still edging away from Hyde, his eyes still darting around the room. He held his bound hands up in front of him, uselessly attempting to get them free of the cuffs.

Hyde just smirked at his futile attempts. "What would you prefer I do to you?" Hyde asked the scowling boy. "I will be nice and let you choose this time. Burns? You didn't like that." He took another step, annoyance washing over him when the boy took a hasty step away from him. "Come here. Show the voices what a good, obedient boy you can be. Show your friends how well you can behave."

The boy looked pissed, his strong jaw clenched together, his eyes straight ahead.

"Come here or I will turn my attentions to them. Who should go first? Camille?"

"No." The boy responded quickly, suddenly ashen. "No, not her."

"Right here, now." Hyde said, motioning to a metal rectangular plate sticking up out of the cement floor. "Drop to your knees. You know you've been bad. You know you should be punished."

Logan looked at his friends, seeing the fear and pain in their eyes as they looked back at him. This was too much. It was one thing to suffer this pain alone…it was so much worse knowing your friends were suffering with you. Because of you. He stepped onto the metal plate, noticing it sink into the floor an inch or two, under his weight.

Hyde glared at him, suddenly stopping in front of him, a few feet away. It took every ounce of control Logan possessed not to move. "We're going to play a game."

"What kind of game?"

Hyde smiled. "That plate you're standing on is a manual control for the cage that the blond girl is in. As long as you remain on it, your weight keeps it from releasing and the girl stays above water. If you move, the release will trigger and the bitch will drown. Save her, don't save her, it's your choice."

Logan stared at the man in horror. "What?"

"Her life is in your hands. Are you man enough to take your punishment and save her?"

Logan looked at Jo. Her eyes were locked on him, desperately pleading with him to stay on the metal plate. He could do this. For her. For Kendall.

Hyde came up closer, so only Logan could hear his next words. "Personally, I hope you pass out and she drowns. That's what I'm aiming for. How long can you last, boy?"

Logan clenched his jaw together, trying desperately to hold back the retort he so desperately wanted to utter. It contained the words Fuck and You. If he'd been alone, he would have said it. But he couldn't risk it, knowing it could put his friends in danger. So instead of responding with his sarcastic vocabulary, he held his tongue, waiting for Hyde to start.

"I said get on your knees, boy." Hyde said, louder, and Logan glared at him while he sank to his knees. Ridges in the metal plate stuck up, jabbing painfully into his knees, making him shift his weight uncomfortably.

"Good boy." Hyde whispered, crouching low over Logan…too close..and Logan could feel his hot breath on the back of his neck. He hated that feeling. For as long as he lived, Logan was sure he would hate that feeling. "I'm going to enjoy this. Take your punishment and I'll leave your blond friend alone for a while. Move and I'll take his ass right in front of you. You can watch him scream."

Logan took a deep breath, staring back into the pain filled eyes of the girl he loved. She had tears running down her face as she held onto the bleeding wound in her leg. Logan was glad the blood strain wasn't growing any larger…the bleeding had stopped. She would be okay if he could just get her out of here soon. Her eyes were wide as she watched Hyde move behind him, to the nearest wall of horrible tools. Her eyes widened even more when she saw what Hyde had selected and Logan felt his own eyes go wide.

It had to be bad, for her to react that way. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Logan!" Jo yelled, no longer able to hold her tongue. "Don't do this for me! Fight him! Fight back!" She hit the bars of her cage in frustration, holding back a scream when the movement jarred her wounded shoulder.

"Yesssss…Logan, fight me." Hyde hissed behind him. "Fight me so I can punish your friend. Do it!"

Logan shook his head. "No. I won't."

"Jo wants you to fight me." Hyde continued, baiting him. "She wants you to get up and fight me."

Again, Logan shook his head. "She doesn't realize what she's asking of me. Just do what you're going to do, Hyde. I won't endanger my friends."

"Have it your way." Hyde taunted. "I'm going to keep it simple for this punishment. Here, to make it more interesting, hold up your hands."

Logan held up his cuffed hands, confused. Hyde pulled a key from his pocket and quickly unlocked the cuffs, allowing them to drop to the floor. Logan looked at the cuffs in shock, daring to believe his luck. His hands were free.

"Are they free?" Hyde said quietly. "If you move, Jo will die. How free are you, really?"

Hyde was right. Having uncuffed hands was almost worse than the alternative. Now he could fight…he actually had a chance of overpowering Hyde…but if he left the plate, one of his friends would die. And his best friend in the entire would never forgive him.

The sound of clanging chains came from behind him as Hyde moved around. Logan risked a quick glance back, his heart dropping.

Hyde was holding a large piece of chain. Roughly three feet in length. That was it. That was his weapon.

Kendall increased his struggles to get free…Jo was sobbing quietly in her cage…the chains were rattling behind him…Hyde was giggling….but it all faded into the background as Logan locked eyes with Camille, silently drawing strength from her. This was the position he had never wanted to be in. This was the position he had promised Camille she would never find herself in. Yet they were both here. Together.

As the chain rattled behind him, Camille's eyes grew large and Logan knew Hyde was drawing his arm back, preparing to strike. Just before it hit, before the pain began, he was the happiest man in the world as Camille mouthed three wonderful words to him.

I love you.

Logan closed his eyes, allowing the intense feelings of bliss to push away the fear. She loved him. Even after all of this, she loved him.

The chain came down, slashing a line across his back, making him scream.

Across the room, Camille flinched at the sound, keeping her eyes locked with his. The chain moved behind him again and this time came crashing down against the backs of his legs, making him falter and fall to the ground with a groan. Still, he kept his eyes on Camille.

Off to the side, Kendall was screaming, yelling at Hyde to stop, please stop. Pain consumed him, as the chain connected again and again, each hit more forceful as Hyde listened to the voices in his head, giving in to their lust for blood. No part of his body was untouched…no part was left unbruised by the heavy chain. Logan didn't even bother to get up again as he hit the ground a second time, propelled by a brutal blow.

And still, Hyde did not stop.

James' head snapped up at the sound of gunshots and his quickly turned to stare at the warehouse where the white van had disappeared minutes before.

Shit!

Where were Morris and Carlos?

Another gunshot followed the first and James struggled to get out of the car, wincing when he bumped his broken leg against the door. Thirty minutes or not, he couldn't sit in the car while his friends were inside that warehouse with a madman. The situation had changed. He just couldn't wait any longer.

The third gunshot sounded as he was hobbling across the vacant lot that separated the warehouse from the road. He froze in place, his eyes darting around as he searched for danger. He was exposed, there was no cover. He could only hope to move as quickly as possible and hope no one saw him.

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his leg, he hobbled on his crutches, trying hard not to fall.

Damn stupid broken leg!

Of all the freakin times to be hurt, he just had to be hurt now.

Stupid blown up cabin debris!

Blessedly, he made it to the side of the building, seemingly without drawing unwanted attention to himself. Thank God for small miracles. He took out his phone, quickly hitting Redial.

"Morris."

"There were gunshots." James whispered into the phone. "Three of them. I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait for you."

"James, don't do this."

"I'm sorry. I have to go in. Just please hurry."

"James! Do NOT go in there! Do you hear me?" Morris yelled into his ear.

"I'm sorry." James said again, wincing at the expletives that came out of the detective's mouth. He quickly disconnected the call, putting the phone back in his pocket. It's not like he had a choice. His friends needed him.

James inched his way along the wall of the building, keeping tight up against the cement. There was a door along the far side, where the van had disappeared. James wasn't sure he wanted to try that door though. Hyde would be expecting that. No doubt he would have that door locked…or booby trapped. James was not going to forget about the cabin door any time soon. Not when the cast on his leg was a constant and aggravating reminder of just how close a call that had been.

He came to the corner of the building and stopped, peaking his head around to stare down the empty alleyway. There was a door, at the far end of the passageway. With any luck, maybe that door would be unguarded. A loud clang behind him made him jump and he spun around awkwardly, stunned into immobility when two obviously drunk and very large men stumbled down the road towards him.

James shrank back into the shadows, hoping to go unnoticed. He didn't have time for drunken idiots right now. If he could just remain out of sight, maybe the pair would stumble right past him and move on. He cursed under his breath when one of the men stopped in his tracks to stare directly out hm. Nudging his friend, he pointed at James, drunken grins spreading across their pasty, bearded faces.

"Well well well." The shorter of the two men said. "What do we have here?"

"Looks like an injured puppy has lost his way, Sid." The friend responded, splitting away from his buddy to come at James from another angle.

"We was just sayin how there was no action out tonight and here we find this pretty boy, out here all alone."

"Ain't that something, Sid?"

"Sure is, Tom."

"Look," James said, nervously eyeing the darkened building behind him. These guys were being too loud. Hyde was bound to hear something. "I don't want any trouble. Why don't you just keep walking."

"Keep walking?" Tom laughed. "You hear that, Sid? This little pup wants us to keep walking."

"I heard him, Tom." Sid said, an evil glint coming to his eyes even as the drunken behavior seemed to disappear. Suddenly the pair seemed more lucid…more calculating…and James gulped as he realized too late that he'd been played. The drunkenness had been a sham.

"Listen," James tried. "I don't really have time for this. What do you guys want? Money? You can take what I have, but it's not a lot."

Sid idly pulled a switchblade from his pants pocket, the blade springing quickly into place. He held it up in front of him, making sure James saw it.

Of course. James thought to himself. Of course the lowlife would carry a switchblade.

"Give me your wallet, pup." Sid growled. "And we might just not fuck you up too bad."

"Sure, pal." James consented easily. "You can have the wallet. He reached into his pocket, igniting a burst of fury from the pair.

"Keep those fuckin hands where we can see them!" Tom yelled, pulling out a knife identical to Sid's.

These guys were on edge, eyes darting around, obviously low level thieves. But James knew that could be dangerous. These guys might even be more dangerous at the moment than Hyde, with their erratic unpredictability. James held his hands up in front of him, in the best non-threatening manner he could muster, given the circumstances.

"Take it easy." He said calmly. "I was just reaching for my wallet."

Sid glared at him. "You just leave those hands out in front, pretty boy." He ordered. "I'll get that wallet."

Timing.

According to Freight Train's training, it was all about timing.

You had to wait for an opening…plan your attack…lure your assailant into a false sense of control.

James was relieved that they both had knives. Knives were easier to defend against than guns. But he could almost hear Freight Train's words echoing in his brain.

Do not antagonize. Do not purposely escalate the situation. Sometimes it paid to give in…to give the assailant what they wanted…to avoid conflict. James knew, right now, that this was one of those times.

"It's in my back left pocket." He said. "Just take it and go."

Sid cuffed him in the head, angering James more than anything, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He grit his teeth against the intrusive hand that shoved its way roughly into his back pocket, struggling to remain on his feet while Sid flashed the knife dangerously close to his face.

"Don't move, pretty boy. We'd hate to have to cut up that pretty face of yours." Tom warned.

James bristled even more at the man's words. He absolutely hated…HATED.. being called pretty. He was vain…sure…but he seriously hated being referred to as pretty. "I'm not giving you any trouble." He told them, his voice still deceptively calm. Sid pulled his wallet free of his pocket and James almost sighed with relief. They had his money. If they left now, he could still sneak into the warehouse unnoticed, though the sudden scowls on the faces of his attackers didn't fill him with much hope.

"What the hell, man!" Tom yelled. "Fifty fuckin bucks? All pretty boy has is fifty fuckin bucks! Shit man!" He threw the wallet to the ground in disgust, pocketing the money. Sid's knife was suddenly back in his face and James flinched back as the blade nicked the skin below his left eye.

"Hey, watch it!" James said quickly. "Be careful with that."

"You holdin out on us, boy?" Sid asked dangerously. "You hidin the rest of your money?"

"I bet he's hidin it!" Tom spat out. "Look at his high dollar clothes! You know this punk has money!"

"That's all I have, I swear!" James stammered, suddenly nervous at how quickly the situation was escalating.

"Shit, man!" Sid yelled, running a hand through his thinning hair. "Fifty bucks ain't gonna get us shit! We owe Ricky more than that!"

Tom looked strung out. "I need my blow, man! I ain't had a hit all day!"

Druggies. James was definitely getting worried.

"Fucking punk!" Sid screamed, taking out his anger on James. The knife flashed dangerously close again and James knew he would have to do something and quick.

Give them a sense of security. Lull them into making a mistake.

Freight Train had trained them in all methods of self-defense, even as Gustavo and Mr. X had trained them to be popstars. Freight Train had trained them to take care of themselves…just in case he wasn't with them. Just in case…

"That's all the cash I have." James said again. "I swear to you. That's it."

"He's lying! Crazy punk is up to no good down here alone at night!" Tom said.

Sid's eyes lit up. "I bet he's dealing! You dealin kid?"

"Dealing?" James repeated, confused. "What? Like drugs?"

"No, blackjack." Sid sneered. "Of course drugs, idiot."

"Tell you what, cupcake." Tom continued. "Give us your stash and we won't hurt you."

"I don't have a stash!" James said quickly. "I don't do drugs."

"Yeah, right kid." Sid mocked. "Tom, let's get his punk ass into that alley and we'll search him. He's got the stuff on him, I know it."

James paled. "Wait…what?"

Never let the assailant get you alone. Freight Train had been adamant about that. Don't go off with anyone. You are safer out in the open, where someone else might happen by.

James knew it was time to act.

"Come on cupcake." Tom went to grab James' arm, dropping the hand that held the knife, and James snapped into action, bringing his crutch around, knocking the man's feet out from underneath him. Tom fell to the ground with a grunt while Sid stared down at him in shock.

James swung down hard with the crutch a second time, grimacing when it cracked against Tom's head, knocking him out cold.

"You son-of-a-bitch punk kid!" Sid screamed, slashing his knife at James. It caught him in his bicep, opening up a shallow cut.

James hissed in pain and leapt back awkwardly, away from his attacker. "I told you guys to leave me alone." He stammered at Sid, wielding his crutch like a baseball bat.

"I'm going to fuckin cut you all up now, Dreamboat!" Sid growled, holding the bloodied knife out menacingly.

Let the assailant come in closer.

Okay, Freight Train. James thought. Okay. Easier said than done.

Lure him in close.

James took a calculated step back, allowing himself to stumble over the unconscious Tom. He fell back, landing hard on the cold ground. He pretended to scramble back, away from Sid, while bringing his crutch into position.

Sid sneered down at him. "You're in for a world of shit now." He moved in blindly for the kill, sensing victory.

Closer.

Closer.

He had to get closer.

"I'm gonna make you bleed.

Close enough. James swung up with the crutch, cracking Sid hard in the nuts. The other man's face turned an instant shade of red as he squeaked and fell to the ground, clutching his injured anatomy. James' next hit connected solidly with the man's head, opening up a bloody gash as the man's eyes closed and his he slumped down onto the ground.

"Fucking dope heads." James grumbled, struggling back to his feet. "Asshole got blood on my crutch." Suddenly, the broken leg didn't seem so awful. James was starting to think that crutches made badass weapons. He left the pair on the ground. He would be gone before they woke up…if they woke up…that bloody gash was looking pretty bad…and Morris could arrest them when he arrived.

But the damage was done. The druggies had cost him a full five minutes and could have alerted Hyde to his presence. James briefly debated waiting for Morris and Carlos, but decided against it. They were driving in peak traffic. There was no telling how much longer they would be.

James reached the door at the end of the alley and quickly looked behind him to make sure the pair was still unconscious. He'd cracked their skulls pretty hard…they'd be lucky if they only had concussions. James shook his head, clearing away any traces of remorse. They had attacked him. They might have killed him.

He'd had no choice.

Now he just had to concentrate on helping his friends.

Voices surrounded him. High-pitched, distraught and pleading voices. Begging for an end to the abuse.

Logan had stopped hearing those voices. All he knew was pain. His entire world was pain. Nothing else existed. As far as he knew, nothing else would ever exist.

There was just the pain. And the demented psycho who inflicted it.

Logan had long since given up on the whole idea of braver and had instead curled himself up into a ball, holding his arms up over his head. Blow after blow rained down on him, accompanied by the high-pitched maniacal giggling. Bruises and welts popped up wherever the chain made contact, until Logan was one big bruise.

"Stop, damn it!" Kendall screamed.

Hyde looked up from his victim, evil eyes gleaming. "Are you ready for me then?" He sneered, abandoning Logan as his lusts for the blond grew.

Logan groaned, trying to get to his feet. Stay on the pad. Jo would die if he didn't.

An alarm blared to life, shrilling loudly through the room, startling the occupants.

Hyde swung around, away from Kendall, his eyes blazing. "Someone is here." He hissed, moving to the monitor in the corner of the room. Logan lifted his head, hope and dread consuming him. Someone was coming. Part of him hoped it was Morris, Carlos in tow. Even as the other part of him remembered the scene from the alley.

The monitor surged to life and Logan saw James…alone…entering the warehouse.

"Another guest for the party." Hyde said gleefully. "And a pretty guest. Let's go welcome him properly." He grabbed his Taser and ran from the room, leaving Logan on the metal plate.

Because he couldn't move. He couldn't go anywhere. Jo would die if he did.

"Logan! Go get help!" Jo pleaded with him, holding her shoulder in obvious pain. "Please, just let me go. Save the others."

Logan shook his head even as Kendall pleaded with him to ignore Jo. "I won't let you get hurt, Jo, so you can just stop right there."

Jo let out a distraught sob. "He's going to kill us anyway and I can't watch him hurt you anymore. I can't watch him hurt Kendall…I can't watch him…I just can't. Please Logan!"

"Jo, stop it!" Camille told her friend, knowing what it was doing to Logan. "Don't do that to him. He won't let you get hurt. Accept that."

"I want it to end!" Jo shouted back at her. "Can't you see that? I'm not strong, like you! I can't handle this anymore! I want to be down at the bottom of this pool, alone, where I don't have to watch this anymore! Where I don't have to worry about how it will feel when he finally kills me! Where I won't' have to watch him rape Kendall, or Logan, or you!"

Logan flinched at the mention of rape, his mind immediately taking him back to that dark, horrible room in the woods. The room that looked so similar to the room he was in now.

"Jo! Please don't say that!" Camille whispered, looking at Logan…seeing just how distraught Jo's words had made him. He had a faraway look in his eyes…Camille knew he was back there…where it had happened….reliving it in his mind.

"I just want out of here." Jo said more softly. "I'm sorry."

Camille allowed a small smile. "It's okay. You're allowed a freak out."

"We just have to stall Hyde until the police arrive." Kendall said, relieved when Logan snapped back to the present situation and the glassy look in his eyes disappeared. "Logan, just stay on that plate, no matter what. I don't care what he does to me...just stay on that plate. Please."

Logan looked from Kendall to Jo before finally nodding his head. "Okay." He looked over his shoulder at the sound of movement outside the door. "I think he's coming back."

Hyde reentered the room moments later, dragging a limping James behind him. "Look what I found." He said, flinging James up against the wall and quickly securing his wrists. "Someone tried to play hero."

James groaned, glaring up at Hyde.

"Are you alone, hero?" Hyde asked, standing over him.

James looked away, ignoring the question. His heart stopped when he saw just how hurt his friends were. Logan was bruised, bloody, and lying on the floor. Kendall had bruises on his face and the beginnings of a black eye. The girls were covered in blood and appeared to have…holy shit!...those were bullet wounds.

Shit! He should have waited for Morris.

He yelped when Hyde kicked his broken leg, bringing his thoughts back to the horrible situation they were in.

"I said," Hyde fumed, "Are. You. Alone?"

Like James was going to answer that question! Stall. That was his only choice. And pray that Morris and Carlos arrived soon.

"Go to hell, asshole." James said, bracing for the worst. Hyde kicked down again, bringing his booted foot down hard on James' leg, making him scream as the bone re-broke beneath the cast.

"You have a wonderful scream." Hyde whispered. "So rich."

James panted through the pain, his eyes tearing up. Stall. Stall the freak. Don't cry like a baby. Do not cry like baby. Shit, he was already crying like a baby. Broken legs fucking hurt! "Piss off, psycho."

"I will ask you again. Are. You. Alone?"

"Is anyone ever truly alone?" James asked, determined to keep Hyde away from his friends and focused on him. He screamed again in agony when Hyde stomped down on his broken leg again, pushing the bones even further apart.

"Should we keep playing this game?" Hyde asked him.

"James, just answer him!" Kendall begged, not wanting Hyde to hurt him again.

"Yes." James spat out angrily. "Yes, I'm alone. You happy now?"

Hyde looked doubtful. "And how did you find us?"

James sighed, hating the hurt he was about to cause his friends. "I followed you from the alley…after you killed my friend and Detective Morris."

"No." Kendall moaned, tears forming in his eyes.

I'm sorry. James thought. He was to believe it was real. He has to believe they are dead.

"Yes." Hyde said to himself. He looked at James. "Did you tell anyone where we are?"

"No." James said quickly. "I didn't tell anyone. I just followed you here."

"We'll see about that." He reached down into James' pocket, removing his phone.

"I didn't call anyone!" James said again.

Hyde hit redial and put the phone to his ear.

"James." Morris answered on the second ring. "Do not go into that building. I'm almost on scene."

Hyde's eyes narrowed as rage coursed through him. His do-gooding partner wasn't dead! He'd been tricked.

"Don't bother, Detective." Hyde growled into the phone. "They'll all be dead before you get here. Starting with the pretty one."

"Fuck." Sid groaned, rubbing his throbbing head. That asshole kid had really gotten the drop on him. The pain in his head rivaled the pain in his nut sack, only pissing him off more.

He needed a fucking hit. Bad.

That kid had money or drugs. Sid was positive of that. No smart dressed pretty boy just hung out by the docks. That prick was dealin. That had to be it.

Tom moaned, waking up nearby. "What the fuck?'

"Kid knocked your bitch ass out." Sid spat out, his anger growing the longer he went without his fix. And he owed Ricky money…lots of money…bastard said he'd break a knee cap if Sid didn't pay him soon.

Tom glared at him. "Looks like he got your bitch ass too, dip shit."

"Fuck you." Sid said, standing slowly. Son-of-a-bitch, his balls hurt! And his fucking head. He wiped at his face, growing more pissed off when his hand came away bloody.

"I'm gonna kill that kid." Tom said, holding his head.

"You and me both." Sid found his knife on the ground and bent over to retrieve it, instantly regretting the move when the pain in his groin increased. "I think he fucking sterilized me!"

"Like that would be a huge loss." Tom mocked him. He winced as he bent down, picking up the discarded wallet and opening it. "James Diamond. Got his address too. If we don't find that bitch here, I'm gonna head to his place and teach him a lesson there. No way is that punk getting away with this." He looked around. "You think he's still here?"

"The little shit was poking around this warehouse. I bet he's inside."

"You think?" Tom looked doubtful. "Fuckin looks empty and shit."

"You are one damn stupid asshole." Sid told him. "Of course it looks empty and shit. He wouldn't want anyone to know he's in there."

"Oh….right. I knew that. So let's go kill that asshole."

"Yeah." Sid grinned. "We'll kill him alright. Nice and slow like. I want to carve up that pretty face of his."

Tom looked at his buddy. "Like you did that hooker Thelma? Man, that was some fucked up shit."

"She sure did scream." Sid told him. "I'm gonna make that kid do the same. No one hits me in the nut sack and gets away with it. Maybe I'll cut his balls off."

Tom grimaced. "Just stay away from the eyes this time." He begged. "I had nightmares for weeks after seeing how you left Thelma."

"That whore had it coming. Fucking bitch gives me crabs, I waste her stupid ass."

"Crabs? Man, that's messed up." Tom told him, heading for the door nearest them. "You think we can get in this way?"

Sid rolled his eyes. "How the fuck should I know that, Dick Lick?"

"You're an asshole."

"That's what your sister said when I gave her crabs."

"You…what?" Tom stuttered, spinning around. "Fuck, man! Fuck! That bitch fucked you?"

Sid smirked. "Forget her. She's a whore. Let's go find that kid and have some fun."

Tom frowned. "Fine. But I get more of the drugs, if we find any on him, since you gave my sister crabs."

"Whatever, man. Just let me carve on him some before we kill him."

"Ready?" Tom asked, reaching for the door.

Sid nodded. "We go in together, all SWAT and shit. Get the jump on him."

"SWAT? Like shooting guns from far away?"

"That's sniper, you asshole." Sid rolled his eyes. Tom could be such a stupid fuck.

"Oh. Right." Tom grabbed the handle and pulled. A split second later, the bomb detonated, the fire ball completely engulfing the two men before they knew what was happening. The bomb had been small, designed to kill without harming the building, and the victims were still alive when they dropped to the ground, writhing and screaming while the flames consumed them.

Excruciating pain was everywhere as Tom screamed, his brain not comprehending what was happening to him. Flesh bubbled and turned black and still he screamed. Sid bumped into him, knocking Tom onto his back, before he blessedly stopped moving. Tom arched his back, wishing and praying that the pain would end. Seconds later, he got his wish.

"What the hell was that?" Detective Morris said, his eyes widening as a sudden fireball erupted at the warehouse in front of him.

"I think it was an explosion." Carlos yelled back, his eyes drawn to the fire. It was the cabin all over again. "This is definitely the place. There's James' car."

Morris pulled over next to the empty vehicle, cursing when he saw that James had actually disobeyed him.

"He's not there." Carlos said, realizing the same thing. He flung open his door and hit the pavement running, heading directly for the dwindling flames.

"CARLOS! Goddamit! Get back here!" Morris yelled at the retreating boy. "You can't just charge in there! Shit!" He grabbed his sidearm and took off after Carlos. He caught up with him at the door, where he was staring down in horror.

"I told you to wait." Morris said, coming to a stop near the teen. He looked down.

Bodies.

Those two charred blobs were definitely bodies.

"Shit!" Morris cursed again, covering his nose with his shirt. The burning stench was almost unbearable, even for him. And this wasn't his first BBQed body. Carlos had gone completely white and looked dangerously close to puking.

"Don't do it." Morris said, a split second before Carlos lost it and threw up on the charred bodies.

Morris looked at him in disgust. He hated puke. Absolutely hated it.

Carlos had the grace to look ashamed. "I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry. Were they…" He couldn't say it.

"Not your friends." Morris assured him. "The build is too large. Not sure who these poor bastards were."

"He did the same thing at the cabin." Carlos told the detective, his voice muffled as he covered his own nose with the collar of his shirt.

"Okay, kid. I'm going to head in. You wait out here for backup to arrive."

Carlos just looked at him. "My friends are in there."

"Yes." Morris nodded. "And you'll stay out here."

A scream suddenly cut through the night, interrupting whatever argument Carlos had been ready to make. With one last defiant look to the detective, he turned and bolted through the smoldering flames and into the warehouse.

"What the hell is it with these kids!" Morris yelled in frustration, taking off after Carlos.

The explosion shocked everyone. Including Hyde.

Logan, who had only seconds earlier been screaming at Hyde to leave James alone, was thrown to his knees. He landed dangerously close to the edge of the platform and quickly got to his feet, making sure that Joe was still suspended above the water.

Hyde was in front of him in a flash, his face a picture of pure rage. "I told you no cops!"

Stall him. That was all Logan had to do. The police were there. He conjured up his best smirk and faced Hyde. He couldn't keep the smile from his face. Carlos was alive. Morris was alive. Help was on the way.

"It's over, psycho."

"Yes." Hyde agreed. "It is over. And it's all your fault." He pulled a key from his pocket and a humorless grin spread across his face. "So the choice is yours. Who will you save?"

"What?" The punch took him by surprise, catching him with surprising force on the side of his head, just above his ear. His eyes immediately blacked over and he stumbled, dizzy and disoriented.

"LOGAN!" Kendall was screaming at him. "Stay on the pad!"

Hyde's kick caught Logan full in the chest, propelling in up and into the air. Someone screamed…one of the girls…and then he landed with a bone jarring thud on the cement floor. Air flew out of his lungs, leaving him struggling to breathe.

Kendall was yelling at him. So was James.

Logan couldn't quite make out the words past the ringing in his left ear. His chest hurt. He couldn't breathe. The room was spinning dizzily around him. He was sure he'd felt a rib crack when Hyde had kicked him.

Another scream, this one definitely Camille, and Logan looked at her, trying to clear his head. Something was different. Camille's cage door was open and Logan could see her struggling with Hyde, holding her bloody leg in obvious agony.

Logan tried to get up. He had to get to her.

Kendall was yelling even louder, trying so hard to get his attention, and there was no missing the panic and desperation in his voice.

Camille was still fighting….but no longer against Hyde…no, fighting to get to the water where Jo's cage had been. She was screaming, looking down into the water in horror. That was it. Logan's head cleared suddenly as horrible realization washed over him. He wasn't on the plate anymore.

Jo was drowning.

Kendall was struggling desperately against the cuffs like a madman, his eyes wide with fear, staring at the place where Jo had been.

Hyde laughed, grabbing ahold of Camille, easily overpowering her as he pulled her away, towards the stairs. "Who are you going to save, Logan?" He yelled as Logan finally made it painfully to his feet. He threw a key on the ground. "That bitch is drowning. And I'm going to throw this little bird off the roof to see if she can fly! You can only save one! Make the choice, boy!"

He pulled the struggling Camille up the stairs while Logan stared at Kendall in horror. He could only save one. There wasn't time to help both. Kendall's eyes were bright with tears as he continued to fight against the cuffs.

"Logan!" James was screaming at him. "Snap out of it! You have to move!"

Logan could still hear Camille screaming from the stairs, heading for the roof. To see if she could fly. Logan took one last look at the stairs before running to grab the key from the floor. Jo was in immediate danger. She didn't have much time. Maybe Camille would fight and buy herself a few extra minutes.

"Logan, save her!" Kendall pleaded, no longer pulling at the cuffs. His wrists were bloodied, but he didn't seem to notice. Logan's heart ached so badly with each stop he took to the pool where Jo was. Each step took him further and further away from Camille.

"Please Logan!" Begging now. Kendall had no idea what he was doing to him. To save the woman he loved, Logan was in all probability dooming his own true love to a horrible death.

She couldn't fly.

Only seconds had passed since Camille had disappeared up the stairs with Hyde, but already it felt like a lifetime. Already it felt too late.

I'm sorry, Camille. Logan thought. I failed. I couldn't keep you safe. He wished Hyde had taken him. That he could have lived with. But the reality…he couldn't live with that. He took a deep breath, readying himself to dive into the water even as his cracked rib protested the movement.

"LOGAN!" James was screaming his name again. "Give the key to Carlos and go get Camille!"

There was a flurry of activity behind him and suddenly Carlos was there, grabbing the key from his hands and diving headfirst into the water to save Jo.

"GO! Get Camille!" James yelled again, startling Logan into action just as Detective Morris ran into the room.

"NO!" Morris yelled when Logan spun away and darted up the stairs after Hyde. "Dammit! Let me go first!" He spared a quick look at James and Kendall, determined that they weren't in any immediate danger, and ran after Logan. The teen was too far ahead of him and he couldn't catch up before the boy disappeared into the open air of the roof.

The door slammed shut immediately behind him and Morris slammed into it, pulling desperately on the door. Locked. God damn it! The kid had just run into a trap. Morris prayed he could get him out of it before it was too late. He turned and ran back down the stairs, to the main room where the other kids were. He remembered seeing tools on the wall. Maybe he could find something to get the door open.

Carlos and the blond girl were sitting on the edge of the pool, looking soggy and miserable, but alive. The girl was coughing up water as Carlos pounded on her back, helping her get the liquid out of her lungs. Morris was glad they were okay. Now to save the last two.

He scanned the wall near Kendall, his eyes locking on an ax even as his mind recoiled in horror at the sight of the implements that lined the walls. His partner was one fucked up piece of shit. There were keys hanging on a ring next to a vicious looking machete and Morris grabbed them, tossing them to Carlos as he ran back up the stairs.

"Free your friends!" He yelled over his shoulder, pleased when the boy immediately moved to obey the order. He reached the door, listening for sounds on the other side. Muffled talking. A whimper. Morris swung the ax, going to work on the door.

A sudden banging from the other side of the locked door made Logan flinch, but her never took his eyes off of Hyde and Camille. They were too close to the edge. Much too close. One wrong step and they would both go over. Camille's eyes were wide with fear as she clung desperately to Hyde's arm wrapped across her chest. He held her in front of him, his gun in the other hand hanging almost lazily at his side.

"This is where it ends." Hyde whispered, burying his nose in Camille's hair, inhaling her scent. "All that time I dreamed about you…hunted you…possessed your body…it all ends tonight. I'll be free and a new conquest can begin." He looked down at Logan, as if just realizing that he was there. "You let the blond die. How ruthless of you."

"No!" Camille sobbed, her eyes filling with tears. "No Jo!"

"She's not dead." Logan said, taking a small step towards the pair. "Carlos saved her. You lost, Hyde."

Hyde clucked his tongue and smiled. "Maybe. But it was never about them, was it?" He bent his head again, nuzzling into Camille's exposed neck, making Logan shake with anger at the intimate act. "She tastes so sweet, Logan." Hyde ran his tongue down along the base of her neck. "Like lavender and honey."

"Get your hands off her!" Logan growled, taking another step towards them.

"Like this?" Hyde released his hold quickly, leaving Camille teetering frantically on the edge of the ledge.

"NO!" Logan yelled, moving towards her even as Hyde reclaimed his hold, pulling back into his steadying embrace. Camille sank back against the man in relief and fear.

"Uh uh." Hyde whispered to Logan. "Not too close. We don't want to startle the voices in my head. They already scream so much at me. They always want me to do such horrible things and then no one likes me. But it's them."

Logan took another step forward, straining to hear the man over the pounding on the door.

"I wanted Camille to like me. Just for a short while. I would have fucked her and moved on. But then you showed up and they wanted you both so badly. They told me I could claim you and make you mine. They wanted to play with you in my special room." He paused, moving his hand to run it over Camille's breast, his fingers digging in and making her whimper. "We had fun in my special room, didn't we Logan?"

Logan couldn't recall a moment in that room that had been fun.

"I fucked him." Hyde whispered into Camille's ear and her eyes flashed to Logan. "I fucked him before you could. You should have fucked him in your apartment, little girl. Can someone please STOP THAT FUCKING POUNDING!"

Logan took another step closer.

"Kill her kill her kill her! That's all you say!" Hyde yelled into the night sky. "That's all you ever wanted!"

Another step. Logan knew Hyde wasn't talking to him. He was in his own head now, with the voices. Those blood thirsty, demented voices.

"You made me obsess on them! You lusted after them! YOU ARE DESTROYING US! YOU WOULDN'T EXIST WITHOUT ME!" Hyde spun Camille around to face him, still embracing her. He stared into her tear filled eyes. "Should I make us fall? We can die together. Let's end this life. Let's kill these fucking voices and show them who's boss."

"No! Please!" Camille screamed, turning away from his gaze to stare down at the street below…so dizzyingly far below her.

Logan moved forward quickly as Hyde looked at him, smirking a suddenly evil glare in his direction. "Let's see if she can fly."

Hyde let go quickly and without his support, Camille's wounded leg gave out, making her lose her already precarious balance on the leg. With a scream, she fell forward and disappeared from sight.

"NOOOOOOO!" Logan screamed, lunging for the edge even as Hyde rushed him, punching him in the jaw. His head snapped back and he fell to the ground, moving quickly to avoid a kick aimed at his already aching ribs.

"She's dead now, boy! She went splat on the ground! THE VOICES LOVED IT!" He giggled as Logan tried to get past him, to the ledge. He had to see. He had to know.

"So much blooooodddd." Hyde sang…no, it didn't sound like Hyde anymore. Too high pitched. Too young.

Daniel. Daniel was back.

"I like the bloooddddd…" Daniel continued to sing. "All this time, I wanted more blooooddddd…."

Logan backed away as Daniel moved around him, singing his song.

"I wanted youuuuuuu…" Daniel sang. "Bet you didn't know that! I tried to hide it but I wanted you so badddddddddd…."

"Daniel, let me get to Camille." Logan pleaded, wincing when Daniel placed his foot heavily on his chest, pushing against the cracked rib.

"SHE'S DEAD!" Daniel screamed, pushing down harder. "I don't know why Hyde ever wanted her! She's weak! She's nothing!" He bent over again. "Not like you! You were always sooooo strong!"

A sound came from the ledge, faint, but Logan's head snapped towards it, his hopes rising. Daniel swung around, following Logan's gaze and he stormed to the ledge, scowling down.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!" He screamed down, over the edge of the building.

Logan got to his feet and ran to the ledge, his heart bursting when he saw Camille a foot below him, holding on to a large metal light jutting out from the side of the building. She looked up at him, relief evident when she saw him.

"Logan! I can't hold on!"

"I've got you!" Logan said, reaching down, ignoring Daniel, grabbing hold of Camille's wrist.

"No! No no no no no no noooooo!" Daniel screamed, stomping his foot in frustration. "She has to die! I don't want her here!" He grabbed at Logan's arm, trying to dislodge his grip on Camille, and Logan flung back his head, hitting the other man in the face, relieved when he stumbled away, wailing.

The thumping on the door increased, creating its own musical background noise as it mixed with Daniel's howls.

Logan ignored all of that as he desperately held on to Camille. It was only the two of them. No one else existed.

Camille screamed suddenly as her free hand slipped free from the light and she dropped, putting her full weight on Logan. He grunted at the increased stress, increasing the pressure around Camille's left wrist. He knew it was hurting her, he could see it in her face. But he wasn't letting go. He was never letting go.

"Reach for my hands, Camille." Logan urged, gritting his teeth as he strained to hold on. His rib was screaming at him, but it didn't matter. Nothing but Camille mattered.

Camille swung her arm up, coming up inches too short. "I can't." She sobbed.

"You can. Cammie, look at me." Logan told her desperately. "You can do this! You have to do this! Come on, reach up and grab my hands!"

"I'll fall."

"You won't. I promise, I will never let you fall. Reach up and grab my hands."

Camille looked up into his earnest eyes, saw the determination in those brown orbs, and she knew he meant what he said. He would never let her fall. She swung up with her free arm again, this time reaching his hands and she grabbed on, holding on for dear life.

"That's my girl!" Logan smiled, encouragingly. "Now, I'm going to lift you back up. Okay? Just hang on and don't let go!"

He pulled Camille up, inch by slow inch, already weakened by the earlier abuse and the broken ribs. He tried to ignore all of that. His knife wound from days ago, back in the park, when everything had started, reopened and tore and blood ran down his arm and he tried to ignore that too. His knee throbbed, reminding him of his Jackie Chan jump from a moving vehicle. Old and new wounds on his back vied for his attention, letting him know in no uncertain terms that they hurt too.

Everything hurt. There wasn't a part of him that wasn't a huge ball of agony.

But none of that mattered. All that mattered was getting Camille to safety.

Movement sounded behind him and suddenly Camille was screaming. Logan glanced over his shoulder…and into the calculating eyes of Hyde. Daniel was gone again.

Logan tightened his grip on Camille, trying to ignore the fact that his fingers were going numb and his hold was loosening every second.

"Daniel is full of surprises." Hyde muttered, staring Logan down. "I'll punish him for his insolence later. How long can you hold on Logan?"

"As long as I have to." Logan told him, wondering what the man would do next. A hole splintered suddenly in the door and Logan saw that whoever was out there was breaking through. The pounding increased again as the person became that much more determined.

Hyde glanced over his shoulder, smirking. "They won't be in time."

Hold on. He just had to hold on.

"I'm slipping!" Camille said frantically, trying to tighten her hold on Logan's hand. "Logan, help! I'll fall!"

"No you won't." Logan said, ignoring how Hyde had started laughing quietly to himself.

"I'd like to watch that too, Daniel." Hyde mumbled. "I'd like to see his face when she falls."

"Logan…" Camille said, struggling to hold on.

"I won't let you fall."

"Don't let go."

"Never." But he'd heard Hyde's words. Hyde wanted her to fall.

Hyde stepped back, away from Logan, reaching for his gun and taking aim. "How long can he hold on? Let's find out."

Logan screamed when the bullet ripped into his right shoulder, just below his shoulder blade. His hand released on its own and Camille screamed with him, falling as his support was taken away. She grabbed for his left hand, wrapping both hands around his wrist even has he increased his own grip, holding onto her with every ounce of strength his could muster, while his right arm blazed in agony, making it hard to think past the pain.

"LOGAN!" Camille screamed again. "I can't hold on! I'm sorry, I just can't!"

"You have to!" Logan groaned, willing the pain to go away. It didn't compare to the pain he'd experience if Camille fell. He'd never survive that.

"This was always going to end like this, Logan!" Hyde said behind him, raising his arm and taking aim again. "Since I saw you both at that club, it was always going to end like this."

"Fuck you!" Logan growled, knowing it was over. Hyde was going to shoot him again.

"My hands are slipping." Camille whispered, looking into his eyes. "I love you."

"Camille, don't." Logan said, struggling to increase his grip even as hers loosened.

"I was going to kill her in front of you, in my special room." Hyde was saying. "I was going to slit her whore throat and watch her bleed. This will be kinder, Logan."

"No." Logan's grip was slipping.

"She has to die."

"NO!" Logan screamed.

"You can't hold on if I shoot your other arm." Hyde told him.

"Don't give up, Cammie. Hold on, please." Logan begged.

"I can't let him hurt you." Camille whispered back. "Let me go."

Logan shook his head.

"Logie, please."

Tears ran down Logan's face when she used his nickname, landing on the concrete beneath him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet that would rip into his flesh and cause him to drop Camille. He would never forgive himself. He hoped Hyde would kill him afterwards.

The gun shot rang out loudly, making him flinch and he waited for the pain…waited for Camille's scream and the horrible reality of watching her fall to her death. Behind him, there was a pained grunt and then a thump as someone hit the ground. His eyes flew open and he looked over his shoulder, shocked to see Morris standing by the busted down door, gun in hand, while he stared down at an unmoving Hyde.

Relief like Logan had never felt before washed over him as his friends rushed through the open door, pushing past Morris in their haste to get to him.

"I got this." Carlos said, reaching over the edge to grab hold of Camille's arms. "Loges, you can let go. I've got her."

Logan tried, but he couldn't get his fingers to release. He said he'd never let her go.

"Logan." Kendall said, moving his hand down to Logan's, gently prying his fingers loose. "Carlos has her. She won't fall."

"Don't let her fall." Logan repeated as Kendall pulled him away so Carlos could pull her up.

"He won't."

Morris had his radio out, calling for backup and a medic. Logan assumed it was for him until he looked down and saw that Hyde was still alive, despite the gaping hole in his chest.

"It was worth it." Hyde muttered, glaring up at Logan. "I fucked up your whole life. It was worth it." His eyes closed and his breathing became more shallow as Logan shook his head.

"Not all of it." Logan said quietly "Just a week of it."

Camille ran to him, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Logan winced at the pain her tight hug was causing and she loosened her hold. " I'm glad you're okay." Logan told her, hugging her back.

Jo came up the stairs, given the okay by Kendall now that Hyde was no longer a threat. She immediately ran to Camille and pulled her into a hug, tears running down her face. Camille hugged her back, cherishing the fact that her friend was alive and unharmed.

"You did good, kid." Morris said to Carlos, who grinned. "It was a good plan."

"We couldn't have done it without you." Carlos said.

"Of course not." Morris grinned back. "My bullet proof vests…my car…my job I'll be losing for going along with this harebrained scheme."

"We owe you big time." James told him. "For everything."

"No." Morris said, staring down at his ex-partner. "I owe you kids. It never should have gotten this far. I should have known."

Hyde's eyes opened and Logan was shocked to see remorse so evident in the glazed eyes. "I'm sorry Jon."

Detective Morris' eyes flashed to Hyde's. "What did you say?"

Hyde coughed and blood ran down from the corner of his mouth. "I said…I'm sorry, Jon."

"Shut up, low life."

"That's not Hyde." Logan said quietly to Morris, who looked at him. "That's not Hyde. I think that's Simmons."

"Ted?"

He nodded and Morris dropped to his knees, next to his partner.

"I shouldn't have protected him. I should have told you."

Morris was shaking his head.

"I thought I could control him and then I was in too deep."

"Just hang on, Ted. Medics are on the way. They can patch you up."

"No." Simmons coughed again. Logan knew the wound was fatal. There would be no patching up. "It has to end here. He has to die with me. They have to die with me."

"You can get help." Morris was saying. "Medication. They can get these voices under control."

"It ends here. Hyde doesn't want to leave. Daniel doesn't want to leave either." Simmons' eyes drooped, as he fought to remain lucid. "I lost him once already, so many years ago." Tears ran down his face. "I should never have created another."

"Your brother."

"Was dead. The one in my head was no replacement."

Sirens sounded below and Carlos ran to the ledge. "The ambulance is here."

"You hear that, partner? Medics are on the way."

"Hyde is fighting me for control." Simmons whispered. "He wants to kill the boy. His last wish is that I kill the boy."

Everyone turned to look at Logan.

"Thank you." Simmons whispered to Morris. "Thank you for freeing me from this hell. You are a good friend."

Morris nodded, realizing that this was what his partner wanted. "You're welcome. Rest in peace friend."

Simmons smiled. "Peace. That sounds like a nice word. I'm sorry for the harm I've caused."

Those final words said, his eyes closed and his breathing became even more shallow until it finally stopped altogether.

It was over.

Camille sagged against Logan in relief and he hugged her, kissing the top of her head. "Come on. Let's get out of here." His friends nodded and they left the Detective alone to grieve for his friend, heading down the stairs to meet the medics who rushed straight to Logan, Camille and Jo, immediately starting treatment.

"It's over." James said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It's really over."

Kendall was looking at Carlos. "When I saw you get shot in that alley, I thought you were dead." He pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly. "I thought I'd lost you."

Carlos hugged him back. "I'm so sorry we put you through that. It was the only plan we could come up with."

Kendall pulled away, playfully patting his friend's head. "And it was the smartest plan in the entire world. You are a genius."

Carlos beamed at the compliment. "James is a genius too."

"Aw shucks." James laughed.

Morris walked down the stairs, directing the arriving reinforcements up to the roof, to collect the body. "Oh, and get the charred bodies outside the warehouse too." He called after the retreating figures.

"Charred bodies?" James asked.

"Two bodies, outside the door. They must have tried to open the door and triggered an explosion, like back at the cabin."

"Two bodies?" James repeated. "Sid and Tom."

Kendall looked at him. "Sid and Tom? Who are they?"

James just shook his head. "Two people that the world is better off without."

Jo came over to hug Kendall, her injured arm in a sling across her chest, and he wrapped his arms around her, leading her off to the side to whisper in her ear. She smiled and hugged him tighter while James and Carlos watched, smiling back at the pair.

Logan and Camille sat next to each other on the floor, holding hands while the medics stabilized them and got them ready for transport to the hospital. Logan winced as the medic placed gauze over his shoulder wound, wrapping it tightly with tape.

"You're gonna need surgery to get that bullet out, kid." The medic told him. Logan just nodded, still smiling at Camille.

Nothing was going to break him out of his good mood. Nothing.

Hyde was dead. Camille was alive. Everything was going to be okay.

"These two are ready." Camille's medic said, standing up. "Let's get them to the hospital."

"We're coming too." Kendall said firmly, moving over to Logan. The medic looked him up and down.

"I'd say so." She said. "Looks like you could use some medical attention too."

Kendall grimaced.

"Think I wouldn't mind getting this leg fixed again." James said, his face white with pain as the adrenaline began to fade. Damn stupid re-broken leg!

"Come on." Morris told the group. "Let's get out of here."

Logan couldn't agree more. He was ready to put Hyde, Daniel, Simmons, and that freakin room behind him. He was ready to move on with his life.

Camille smiled back at him.

He was ready to spend his life with Camille. He had her back. She was safe. And he was never letting go.

**TO BE CONTINUED:**

**A/N: So….Hyde is dead. Thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! I hope this lived up to expectations. I tried my best. I'm actually sorry to see it go…Thanks again to everyone who has been reading. Thanks for sticking with me. You are all amazingly awesome and I've loved reading your stories just as much as I've loved writing my own. ~ LazyLazyWriter**

***Chapter 20*: Chapter 20**

**A/N: Thank you again to everyone who has read this story! I hope you have all enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always, I do not own Big Time Rush.**

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Logan was at his sixth funeral in as many days. He'd made himself a vow. He would be at them all.

Melissa, the girl from the club, had been buried days before, while he was still a captive of that horrible room in the cabin, so Logan had gone to the cemetery instead. He'd sat down next to the freshly dug grave, lied his head down on the newly erected tombstone, complete with carved birds and flowers, and cried. He'd had a talk with Melissa. He'd said how sorry he was that she'd died. How sorry he was that Hyde had killed her because of him. Then he'd told her all the things that had happened to him..because they were alone and she couldn't judge him and he'd had to get it out. He'd left the cemetery just as the sun was beginning to set, feeling drained. Feeling sad. Feeling alone.

Terrence, the bartender from the club, was his second funeral. Murdered because Simmons thought he was a threat. Murdered to throw suspicion off of Simmons. Murdered for no reason at all. While he hadn't been the most reputable of individuals, he hadn't deserved to die. His funeral was held at the club, in the middle of the afternoon, attended by staff and a few friends. And Logan. He'd almost had a panic attack when he'd stepped back into that club. The club where it had all began. But he'd made it through the service. He'd honored Terrance in that way.

The old hermit man was next. The funeral had been small. Just Logan, the guys, and the head park ranger. The man hadn't had many friends. He'd been buried on his property, next to the area where the deer he loved so much always gathered. Now he could be near them forever. Logan had cried during the small service. That one had truly been his fault and there was no arguments anyone could make that could make him feel differently. He had run through the woods. He had gone to the cabin door, asking for help. He had led a cold blooded killer to that man's door. This one was his fault. If he'd stayed in the van, the outcome for him would have been the same. Cabin basement, torture, everything would have been the same. But the old man would still be alive. And that was why Logan had cried.

The fourth funeral, actually a double, had been for a couple murdered on the highway. While no one knew for sure, it was accepted that they'd been victims of Hyde. The murders had taken place on the same stretch where Camille and Jo's car had crashed. Needless, senseless murders, but that's who Hyde was. There were so many people at that funeral that Logan wore a hat and sunglasses, to remain inconspicuous. The couple had been truly loved. The woman was a nurse who loved to help people and it showed. The man had been newly retired and had talked about buying a boat so that he could take up fishing. That's where they had been headed…to look at a used boat they'd found on Craigslist. Logan had cried at that funeral too.

Brian was the fifth funeral and that one hit Logan hard. A longtime friend of Freight Train, Brian felt like family. Brian had been with them for years, at various events, always protecting them. And that was how he'd died…protecting Camille and Jo. On their way to see Logan, in the hospital. This one was his fault too. Brian's fiancé had been there, sitting in the front row, her face red and puffy as she cried into the shoulder of her father. Logan hadn't even known that Brian was engaged. According to Freight Train, the pair had only just gotten engaged a few days before. Brian had been so excited about finally finding 'the one'. He'd been talking about getting out of the bodyguard business and moving to his fiancé's home state of Ohio. The picture next to the closed casket showed Brian smiling, full of life and happiness. Logan had cried at that funeral too.

Now he was at his final funeral. Susan's. And he'd come alone. The turnout was large, the small church filled with family and friends. There was no body…it had been lost in the fire…so the casket was empty, at the front of the church. There was a picture of her as well, and she looked happy. Logan sat in the very back of the church, alone, listening to the reverend talk about senseless loss and overcoming grief. He wasn't sure how he felt about this one. He was sorry that Hyde had killed her…he could still hear the murder in his mind and he knew he would never forget it. But at the same time, he was having a hard time coming to grips with what she'd done to him. He wanted to forgive her. He knew it hadn't been her fault. She hadn't asked to be kidnapped and forced on him. But she'd liked it too much. She'd gotten too into it. She'd abused him just for the sake of hurting him, not to protect herself from Hyde. That was what he was having a hard time forgiving.

Someone slid next to him on the bench and he turned to look at the newcomer.

"Hey kid." Detective Morris whispered, sitting next to him.

Logan simply nodded and turned back to the funeral, trying to shut out the crying people around him as he listened to the sermon, searching for words that would help him find closure and forgive Susan. They had to be there…in the words of God…there had to be something that could help him find peace. But as the service ended, Logan found nothing. He was still consumed with anger and hurt and guilt. The reverend's words had done nothing for him. Logan knew it was a pointless wish anyway. He had caused so many people pain, he wasn't sure he deserved closure, and so he remained in his seat while people filed past him, heading outside to the cemetery. Morris remained next to him, sitting quietly until the last of the mourners had left.

"I do this too." Morris said, still looking straight ahead at the portrait of the deceased girl.

"Do what?"

"Come to funerals, trying to make myself feel better. Trying to find meaning in a horrible tragedy."

"That's not what I'm doing." Logan said, turning to the face the older man. "I owe them at least this much. It's my fault they were killed in the first place."

"Is that what you're telling yourself?" Morris asked him in disbelief.

Logan looked away quickly. "It's the reality of the situation. Each and every person that Hyde killed was because of me. "

"Logan, you know that's not true." Morris said. "He was a sick person and he did what he did because of that illness."

Logan didn't respond so Morris continued. "You're not the only one who likes to play the blame game, Logan. I'm doing the same thing right now. If I'd figured it out sooner…if I'd found him out sooner…so many lives would have been changed. So many people would have gone unharmed. So many victims. So much pain." He paused, staring at the stained glass windows, watching the sunlight filter through the colored glass. "

Logan followed his gaze, finding solace in the pretty colored lights.

Morris took a deep breath. "You know, I met Ted Simmons right after college. He was such a funny guy. I liked him instantly. He was a great partner. I thought I knew him. I thought we were friends. But I didn't know everything about him."

Tears were forming in Logan's eyes and he turned away, to hide them from the detective.

"Teddy had a rough childhood. His mother and brother were killed in a car accident and his father took off after the funerals, leaving Ted alone at the age of twelve."

Logan didn't know if he wanted to hear this. He didn't know if he wanted to feel anything towards the man who had abused him so horribly. But he sat there, next to Morris, and listened to him speak.

"Ted spent a couple of years in foster care." Morris continued. "There was abuse…physical…sexual…it was a horrible few years for such a young kid. An elderly couple adopted Ted when he was fourteen. I met Ted's parents before they died. They were so kind and loving, I had no idea they weren't his real parents. He never told me otherwise. I know he loved them and I'm sure he considered them his saviors. But by then, I think the damage was already done."

Logan bit his lip, trying to stave off the tears that wanted so badly to flow. He was tired of crying. He was tired of feeling. "I didn't know he lost his brother."

Morris nodded. "It's a hard thing for such a young child to go through."

"I couldn't imagine losing any of my friends." Logan told him. "They are like brothers to me. They mean the world to me."

"I believe Daniel meant the world to Ted. We think Daniel was the first personality to emerge, soon after his brother Daniel was killed. It was a coping mechanism…a way to keep his beloved brother with him. I'm not sure when the other personalities emerged, but Simmons probably thought he could control them. I think he was afraid he'd lose his job if anyone found out just how ill he was. So he kept them hidden…even from me…and in the end, it cost him and countless others their lives."

"He saved me in the woods." Logan said. "Simmons..he regained control for a split second and kept Hyde from chopping off my foot."

Morris smiled. "He was always trying to help people…always trying to protect them."

Logan nodded.

"But my point is, if he'd gotten help… if he'd gone t to a doctor or confided in someone about his mental illness, none of this would have happened. None of those girls would have been raped, no one would have died. You wouldn't have had to go through what he put you through. So it's not your fault that all of this happened. It's his."

He turned to look directly at Logan, staring into his eyes. "I can play the blame game and I probably will for some time. You can play the blame game, but I hope you don't. We can play the 'what if' game. What if I had figured it out sooner? What if I had realized it was him? What if you and your friends had never gone to that club that night? What if Camille hadn't caught his attention? What if you hadn't caught his attention? But we can't change these things. We can only realize that Simmons did these things on his own. We didn't ask him to do them. We didn't ask him to rape and murder people. We are victims too."

Logan wiped at the tears running down his face with the back of his hand. "I wish I could believe that."

"You can." Morris told him. "And someday you will. It just takes time. Come on, let's get out of here. We've honored the dead. Now we have to go honor the living by moving on."

Logan stood, following the detective out of the church. He walked past the mourners, crying as they stood next to an empty grave, saying their goodbyes. He hoped Susan was happy, wherever she was, and he hoped that, in time, he'd find a way to forgive her.

He also hoped, as time went on, that he'd find a way to forgive himself. The man walking next to him had given him a good start. In time, Logan was sure he'd be able to make peace with himself. And right now, the best way he could honor those who had died was to make sure they didn't die in vain. He could honor them by living.

"We are so excited to be here tonight!" Kendall yelled into his microphone, exciting the crowd into a frenzy of screams. "This is the first concert of our Big Time Summer Tour and we're so excited to start right here in L.A.!"

The crowd screamed again and Logan looked around, smiling at all the happy faces. It had been a month since Hyde had been killed…a month spent in the hospital, in therapy, and in rehearsals, getting ready for this very moment. It had been a whirlwind of activity and Logan could finally say that he was feeling normal again.

Dr. Anne, his therapist, had just told him yesterday that in time the memories would fade and he would replace the horrible images with memories of good times. Of friends. Of laughter. Of love. Logan hoped that was true. Right now, the horrors were still so fresh in his mind that he was scared they would never truly go away.

"Are you guys ready to rock?" James yelled, and the crowd went crazy again.

"What?" Carlos yelled, holding his hand up to his ear. "We couldn't hear you!"

The crowd screamed even louder, if that was possible.

Logan smiled even wider. It was his turn.

"We're going to start off with a slow song." He yelled. "It's one of our favorites and I hope you like it too."

"But first," Kendall interrupted, making Logan look at him in surprise. "We would like to bring someone special up to the stage. She's a brave, special young lady and she really wants to meet Logan. I think he's her favorite! Does anyone else in here like Logan the best?" He winked at Logan as the crowd screamed loudly. "Jessie, will you please join us on stage?"

Logan watched a familiar looking young girl walk hesitantly up the stairs to the stage. How did he know her? She looked so familiar. The girl walked straight for him, taking a seat on the stool next to him. She leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Thank you for saving me. At the restaurant." She said and it suddenly clicked. She was the girl who had been sitting with her mother, the day Hyde had kidnapped him. The girl Hyde had planned to shoot, if Logan and Camille didn't cooperate.

Logan smiled. "You are welcome, pretty girl." He whispered back, slinging his arm across her shoulder.

"I think your girlfriend is pretty." She whispered shyly, and Logan looked down at the front row, where Camille and Jo were smiling back at him.

"I think she's pretty too." Logan whispered back. "Almost as pretty as you."

She smiled broadly as Kendall began the song, accompanied by two guitars. It was a beautiful song and one of Logan's absolute favorites. It was about beauty. About love. About accepting yourself for who you truly were…not who you thought others wanted you to be. He sang his part directly to Jessie, loving the smile that graced the little girl's face while he sang about rain boots and sunny days. Of all the bad things that had come out of this ordeal, one good thing remained. He had saved people. He had protected some people from Hyde's evil wrath.

This one girl was here, because of him. She was alive, because of him. She would go on, finish school, get married, maybe even have kids of her own. Because of him. That had to mean something.

He wouldn't walk in rain boots any longer. He would enjoy the perfect sunny day. He wouldn't see the dark side anymore, when everything was okay.

He was free. Free of Hyde. Free of the horrors. Free of the sorrow and pain.

He was where he belonged, surrounded by the people he loved. He was free. He was home.

**THE END**

**A/N: Tears : ( Sniff. I'm kind of sad that this story is over. It's been in my mind for almost 8 months now…always flitting around in my brain, demanding to be written. I will miss you, Obsession. You've been my obsession for a long time now.**


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